The Pact
by Nenyanna
Summary: The Pact was signed 200 years ago between the greatest youkai lords and the heads of the strongest spiritual orders in Japan. To save humans and demons alike, humans with holy powers would work to protect the secret identity of the demons they were assigned to. Kagome drew the short straw.
1. The Interruption

Typing away diligently to her boss' latest client Kagome Higurashi was so absorbed in her work she nearly missed the sight of the red light beside her monitor snap to life. Eyes minutely widening, she couldn't help but mentally berate her new boss. In the four weeks she had been on the job, Kagome had never had an employer who had so many incidents. Her last boss had used her but once when an acquaintance had turned out to mysteriously have a redoubtable amount of holy energy and had spied his friend's markings.

This boss seemed to have a run in every third day at best. And while he would persistently blame the impertinence of the human race, she knew it was his own stubborn pride that forced her hand more than was needed. Getting up and straightening her skirt, she once again mentally screamed at her grandfather. The old man had never told her about this little foible. Next time she had a free day she would go home and shout at him until he revealed some tidbits she could use against this new boss of hers to hopefully put them equal footing. As it was their relationship was strained, but she was under the impression that could be healed with a dash of blackmail. Blackmail she could leverage to avoid situations like this she grumbled as she made her way to the giant black door behind her desk

Silently opening the door and peering past the castle-thick wood, she quickly assessed the situation.

Sigh.

Seething trembling with anger boss standing behind his desk and glaring at his newest victim, check. Cowering human trying to melt his body through the walls on the other corner of the room with a face of pure fear, check.

Fighting the urge to rub her face in exasperation she quietly entered fully into the room and shut the door behind her with a soft click. Slowly making her way between the two occupants of the room she raised her hands in an effort to placate both. "Okay, okay…" she chanted without thinking as she made her way to the angry youkai about to tear the man limb from limb. Taking routine, measured steps towards the angry taiyoukai, she offhanded wondered if there would be a permanent track in the carpet from the sheer amount of times she had made this trip. Keeping her eyes focussed on the taiyoukai's neck so as not to challenge him, she maintained a calm and constant tone in the move she had dubbed her 'Negotiator'.

"You know Sesshomaru-sama, if people anger you so much, perhaps you should find a new career. Perhaps you would be better suited to an assassin, or maybe a lone computer hacker. In both cases you would likely have no need of the button or me. I think it would save us both a lot of grief." As she got with arms reach of him, his growl subsided to a faint rumble. Pleased that he seemed to be calming down faster, she placed her hand on the forearm clenching at his side. Once again, his growl lessened by a few decibels. Content with his progress thus far, she slowly asserted her reiki to remind him of her personal presence and saw his posture relax as his eyes slowly faded down to pink while his markings began to lose their jagged edge.

Trusting her employer was regaining his faculties, she slowly turned around to face the man hiding his face in the wall and whimpering. Honestly. She had not yet been privileged enough to see what he did to set his victims off, but majority of them seemed to prefer cowering and breathing heavily to anything else.

"Matsumoto-san. Ano… Matsumoto-san. Please calm down." She implored. At this the heavy breathing slowed from near hyperventilating to mere panic, the air filtering through his nose. Pressing on, "Do you remember me? You met me outside before the meeting. I am Higurashi-san. I am the secretary you spoke with this morning and the one your secretary has been in contact with all last week. Do you remember me?" She found if they were reminded of their life before they had the pleasure of meeting her boss in all his feral glory, they were more inclined to come out of their fear-induced state and be sorted out.  
"Well it seems there has been a misunderstanding here. No matter what you may believe no one is here to hurt you. I will see to it personally, on my oath as one with holy powers." Surreptitiously checking that Sesshomaru was indeed back to normal, she noticed his golden eyes were observing the situation. He was back in control, but they would have to wait until he was fully in his human disguise before this would work properly. In a gentle voice she invited Matsumoto to turn around and see for himself.

It took the man a moment to gather himself, and when he turned about he still seemed ruffled and distrustful. While he met the eyes of Higurashi head on with an air of relative suspicion, he looked upon Sesshomaru with abundant fear. The rumours were right. The man was a demon. Standing 6'10, the man was towering over his average 5`5. Matsumoto could clearly make out the silver hair and golden eyes and odd facial markings and…were those tattoos? In the centre of his brow was a blue crescent moon and upon further study he was able to make out large maroon markings on the side of his face. Yet it wasn't the demon's basic description which had him still cringing in fear. No. It was the glare of loathing he was receiving from the monster. Ten minutes ago, Sesshomaru the businessman had been intimidating, bordering on startling. Now that the devil had showed his true colours it was petrifying.

Noticing Mastumoto staring at her boss, Kagome set to work. " Matsumoto san, could you please have a seat and relax and Sesshomaru-sama, could you…"  
"This is still my office, miko." He replied in his deep drawl. "Once again, I refuse to leave for 'their comfort' as you put it."

Mentally bashing his head against the massive mahogany desk she resolved herself to the fact she would have to do this with the demon in the room, a complication few other pactkeepers had to contend with. While it wasn't too difficult to practice the memory wipe technique, she was loathe to have to do it in the presence of a demon. With Sesshomaru in the room, the subject was always uncomfortable when they came back to themselves and although their memory was wiped, their body's instincts and emotions were still in overdrive which made for a tricky transition.

Once again gesturing for Matsumoto to have a seat on the deep leather sofa near the corner he had most recently been occupying, Kagome requested he close his eyes and relax.  
Matsumoto would have none of that though. It would seem the fearsome businessman had finally regained his bearings and his tongue…"Not with him here! He's a demon. He could attack me at any moment! And you too for that matter! You should not be working for a creature such as this. It is truly dangerous work! Let's get out of here." He exclaimed as he rose from his seat and made a grab for her arm on his way to the door.

Hearing Sesshomaru snarl behind her and feeling his youki expand, she quickly and firmly extracted her arm from Matsumoto's grasp and asserted her reiki to soothe the beast. Why was this always a circus? It was like taming lions under the big top, never let them out of your sight.

Ignoring Sesshomaru's vocalizations which had simmered, Kagome focussed on getting Matsumoto under control. With calming waves of reiki she redirected Matsumoto's attention and with a gentle touch to his forearm, he was much more pliable. Thank the gods humans responded positively to reiki.

"Have no fear Matsumoto-san. He cannot harm you so long as I am here. Do you know of miko? Not miko in the shrines mind you, but real and true priestesses? Well I am one and so long as I live I must protect humans against demons. So you see? So long as I am here, you are safe." Assuming the look of a terrified child, Matsumoto had his eyes locked on her, lulled by her words and her aura, though still suspicious of everyone and everything in the room. "Now, will you please have a seat and close your eyes?" Calmed by her touch and gentle words, Matsumoto did as he was asked by his saviour, the miko.

Behind her, Sesshomaru too was calmed by her dulcet tones and resigned himself to don the façade of a human. Kagome, noticing this, quickly beamed him a bright smile before sitting beside Matsumoto. Focussing her powers in her index fingers with a soft pink glow, she gently placed them on either side of Matsumoto's temple. Closing her eyes as well, she worked to sort through the memories of the relaxed man and erase those which had caused him fear in the last few minutes. Once done she was sure to add in a little memory she had mastered to explain her presence in such an intimate position in the midst of a business meeting, she finished her task and removed her fingers from his temple, immediately assuming her best dumb assistant facade.

"…on his cheek here. There! Much better Matsumoto san! I hate seeing people with eyelashes in the wrong place! It looks so silly!" Kagome chirped. Blinking in confusion Matsumoto readily agreed to her statement with a curt nod and sat up in his seat.

"Miss Higurashi," Sesshomaru chimed in his deep baritone in at the precise rehearsed moment, "Be as kind as to remove yourself from Mr. Matsumoto and go do your work. I do not pay you for flirting."

"Haaaai!" She brightly replied. With that she lifted herself up and made her way out of his office, closing the door with a loud thunk after sending a meaningful glare at her employer.

Seriously, how did he truly expect her to work under such conditions? Between the usual secretarial work she performed for him and her duties as his miko, it was demanding.

Trudging over to her desk she was suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion. While her miko duties were quite light, it would be much easier if Sesshomaru would leave the room. That way she could simply expand her reiki instead of forcing it into a smaller vessel. After all, the last thing she could afford was a bout with the Holy Alliance. They would come down on her if they got wind the Great Demon lord was singed, let alone eradicated.

Slumping in her chair, she took a moment to breathe deeply and recollect herself before continuing on her correspondence.

Originally a oneshot, I think I might make it into a chapter story...


	2. The Explanation

Less than an hour later Matsumoto left Sesshomaru's office intact and promised to fulfill his end of the contract. Sesshomaru walked the man to the outside of his office door, and watched as he boarded the elevator to the car park. As soon as the doors closed…

"Please tell me it wasn't because he sat down before you again."

"Miko…"

"Or because the man asking for a business deal but did not submit the appropriate forms in a timely manner. I really didn't think it was THAT big of a deal. I mean, the contract was signed in time to commence the project and all, you could have gone easy on that guy."

"Everything in business is a matter of timing, I should not have to teach fundamental skills to others. If they are ignorant that is their issue."

"So was that why you went off on Matsumoto-san?"

"Drop it miko…"

"Okay I hear you I hear you! You have a 2 o' clock with Mochizuki-sama about the Paris contract and a 4:30 with your brother…"

"-Half brother-"

"…About his proposal to expand to Thailand which I personally believe is just an excuse to visit the beach and the red light district with that perverted pactkeeper of his. But that one is up to you…"

"Is that perverted pactkeeper not your own cousin?"

Steadily ignoring him, she continued: "Here are the files you requested. Afterwards you need to read over the latest project updates and sign off on a few details they will courier over soon. After that you are home free. Can we go home before 9 tonight?" She queried with shining eyes as he leafed through the fresh documents she had passed him.

"We shall see, miko."

"Great. Let me know if you need anything else!" She called as he strode back to his office door. Before he was able to shut the door she called out

"And Sesshomaru-sama…" She waited for him to turn. Once his eyes were slanted in her direction she continued. "What DID Matsumoto do to make you snap this time?"

"Nevermind miko. Make sure the incident report is on my desk within the hour. We need to make sure it is logged quickly or word will spread to unnecessary individuals."  
Putting on her dumb secretary mask, she once again called out a cheery "Haaaai!" as the door clicked shut.

Once in the privacy of his office, Sesshomaru briskly walk to his desk and gracefully settled himself down in his lush office chair. Were he a less dignified man he would have sighed. His previous holy retainer had been Kagome's grandfather. The old man had a knack for acting inept and oblivious, but underneath his forgettable demeanour there was a spirit and a talent he was sad to see leave his service. But as all his other assistants had done he had grown old, and left his position for a nice retirement at his family shrine, recommending his granddaughter Kagome for the vacant position.

His new miko did her job impeccably, picking up the duties of her grandfather seamlessly. He was very much impressed by her ability to read the atmosphere and act accordingly. Yet while he appreciated her efforts and the results thereof, he had one issue with the miko.  
While her grandfather had been in his employ, he had had significantly fewer instances where he lost his control. Perhaps once per year for silly administrative issues that he suffered due to the carelessness of a colleague or partner.

In this past month he had had greater need of the miko than he had of her grandfather in the past 10 years. All because of his idiotic beast and its masochism. The beast naturally loved a good challenge and saw the miko's power nearly twice the size of her already formidable grandfathers to be a challenge incarnate. It didn't help either that Matsumoto along with 20 of his other business partners and acquaintances clearly appreciated the view his new assistant offered them, and while most were highly refined and thereby professional enough to curb comments about the latest perk of visiting Sesshomaru's office, he was a perceptive demon. He saw how their eyes lingered on her form, how they smiled when she spoke with them, how as she was gesturing them through to his office their hands twitched at their sides.

These subtle moments started off the meeting on a bad note, thereafter any small mistake or indiscretion on their part would send him into a rage, and that was IF they managed to refrain from making objectifying statements about his miko. He felt powerless in many ways to stop his beast from lashing out at the unsuspecting humans he did business with. There was nothing to be done against the creature. Though it was a part of him, he had little influence over his beast.

Deep inside Sesshomaru his beast quietly chuckled to itself remembering the recent encounter. The moment Kagome had seen Matsumoto san seated and ensured he didn't need anything she had turned. In that moment golden eyes had observed Matsumoto appreciating his miko's backside and smelled the slight arousal she had inspired in the now decidedly little man. It had taken less than five minutes before the building anger of his beast had taken over.

Once she had entered the room his beast stilled and as soon as the miko's hand had come into contact with his arm, the beast calmed completely, and he slunk back into Sesshomaru's subconscious, content in her apparent regard for him. Once there he was, as always, enabled to watch the world from Sesshomaru's eyes and feel what he felt.

After she turned, the beast and the rational observed the scene carefully. As she approached the frightened man things were going well, until the man once again became riled and had the audacity to grab the miko's arm. In that moment he had felt the pure rush of possessiveness, but it was not the beast that incited this, it was the rational side. This started the internal chain reaction: the beast laughed, Sesshomaru snarled, and the man became further upset. Fortunately the miko managed to disarm the situation and repair the cowering man's memory and psyche.

Choosing not to reflect on his innate possessive tendencies toward the miko Sesshomaru inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly and picked up the top file.


	3. Paperwork

Although she had hoped to be out of there by 9, come 9:45 Kagome was still hard at work. _But not for long_ , she triumphantly cried in her head. All that was left to do was fill out the incident report and she would be home free. She had hoped to finish the report earlier as 'yonder lord' instructed, but there had been a crisis with their Northern branch and she had been forced to act as control centre for the "imbecilic miscreants"- so he called them - he had hired to run his that location.

Pulling up the familiar folder on her computer, she opened the form and began filling it out.

Date:

Name of Spiritual Party:

Name of Demonic Party:

Name of Human Party:

Time of Incident:

Location of Incident:

Level of Exposure:

Cause of Incident: _Hmmm… What should I put for this_ … she wondered? Demonic pride? Human allergy? Exceedingly low blood pressure? Deciding on yet another business dispute she finished the last question detailing the nature of the incident in a few short paragraphs, printed it off and signed her name before taking it to his office.

Knocking, knowing firsthand how he disliked intrusiveness, she waited before he replied "enter" in that sinfully low voice of his.

"Here is the report, ready to be signed, Sesshomaru-sama." She said as she walked briskly to his desk. Putting the paper down on the surface and sliding it over to him, she awaited his anger patiently.

Glancing over at it from his report, he queried in a stony voice, "You are giving this to me now?" Looking up at her now, his cold golden eyes looked like a tiger about to attack her. "I believe, Miss Higurashi that I requested this be done within the hour."

"But of course Sesshomaru-sama. I was merely performing the best branch CPR I know how to." She quipped. "If you prefer next time I can let the branch fall apart entirely and focus on paperwork."

"Careful Miko. If I didn't know better I would think you were being insubordinate." He replied, while signing off on the incident report. Thrusting it back across the table, he once again caught her eye and glared, "Watch that…"

"But of course milord!" she preened, dipping into a sloppy curtsy, "I don't mean to offend, of course!" In a mockery of a servant demeanour. "Is that everything for the day?"

"Yes miko, you are free to go." He replied, eager to see her leave.

Whenever she played the submissive, it frightened him just how much his beast enjoyed the sight. As soon as she dipped into her curtsy and inadvertently bared her neck to his hungry gaze in that demure, off to the side fashion, he had to steel himself from pursuing her.

When she had risen from her obeisant position and smirked, his beast took it as a sign that she was still a challenge. There was no form his beast didn't love her in – as a contest or compliant.

Watching her head out, all he could think was there must be some way to fix this. The thought of dismissing her simply never occurred to him.


	4. Her Resolve

Opening the door to her apartment, Kagome entered, closed and locked the door, threw the keys on the hook, removed her boots and coat, moseyed over to the sofa and flumped down. Working at Taisho Inc. was exhausting. Sesshomaru had demanded that Matsumoto's contract be studied tomorrow with a fine tooth comb, to ensure a man of his nature did not infect Sesshomaru business.

Geez.

Even if it was the largest building company in Japan, he didn't have to power trip quite so often in her opinion. Picking up her phone, she dialled the one other person she knew would appreciate such a day.

"Hello?"

"Sangooooo," Kagome whined. "It happened again!"

"Ya I saw we got the paperwork on our end about an hour ago. I'll have a closer look at it in the morning. From what I saw it didn't look too bad though, it just seemed as if it was another level two. Why, did something else happen?"

"No," she shrugged, "but if everyone in the business world knows me as a flake, I'll never be able to get another job should Sesshomaru fire me. Maybe I should join the Japanese archery team or go to med school…"

"Pfft." Sango scoffed. "There are so many high level demons these days looking for a holy power user with your talent that you could have your pick of the litter. Right this moment Kouga-sama is looking for a new assistant after his mate accidentally went mental on the last one."

"Kami," she breathed, "what happened?" She asked, suddenly very interested in their line of work again.

"Well, you can't spread this around, but from what I understand, Ayame sama didn't realize there was an incident. When she got there all she knew was that the secretary was in her mate's office. She didn't notice the businessman hiding behind the door and just happened to barge in at the worst possible moment. The poor thing was so flustered, Lord Kouga just barely managed to lock the miko away in a nearby supply closet before Ayame-sama completely lost it. Apparently half his office will have to be rebuilt because of the fight. We had to send the on-call squad out to wipe 20 or so memories of people who witnessed the damage. We got a report later in the day that the youkai contractors will also have to fix half their bedroom too."

Kagome giggled. The protectiveness and *ahem* sexual prowess of wolves were well known in their line of work. Few demon types were as possessive or demonstrative towards their mates as the canines. In that respect, Kagome thanked her lucky stars she didn't have to contend with a jealous Mrs. Taisho. She could only imagine the crossfire…

"So, what do you say? Want to change it up? I know your grandfather worked for him and all, but if you aren't happy and if his incident rate keeps going up, I'm sure we could find a better situation for the both of you." When Sango wanted to sell, her business mode was impressive.

Kagome got up and began to divest herself of her work clothes, laughing at her friend's salesmanship. "Thanks Sango, but I think I will stick this one out. Besides, Gramps would be upset if I left his buddy high and dry like that. I'm going home this weekend and hope to get a few pointers out of him. He worked for Sesshomaru for over 45 years! He should have some pearls of wisdom for me."

For some reason, Kagome didn't want to simply find a new position, as easy as it would be for her especially with a hookup like Sango at headquarters to help her out. Something in her wanted to see this through, and not just for the sake of the Higurashi tradition and her grandfather's happiness. Sesshomaru was a puzzle, and a challenging one at that. She wanted to be able to figure him out and go from her embarrassingly high incident rate to the level her grandfather enjoyed. That and she wanted to be able to go to work and not feel like her boss didn't trust or like her.

No, she was resolved. She would see this through.

After a pause, "…At least for a few more months Sango. Can you hold off the big bosses for a few months, just to see if I can fix his numbers?"

With a sigh, Sango acquiesced. "Fine, fine. You know without a complaint from either the youkai or pactkeeper there is little they can do until the yearly review, so you still have quite a bit of time before they come after you guys for your numbers. But it is odd for such a stoic Lord to suddenly have so many incidents in such a short period. Just… don't hesitate to let me know if you feel like switching out. I can get you a really easy gig without crazy mates and decimated offices."

Laughing again at the antics of wolves, she thanked her friend again, promised to keep her posted and said goodnight.

Lying in her bed 20 minutes later waiting for sleep to claim her, she went over the event, or rather the minutiae that led up to the event, seeking an answer to what had upset Sesshomaru so much. There may never be a concrete answer, for the demon was inscrutable if he wanted to be. By the same token though, Kagome was nothing if not determined. She would figure out what was setting him off.


	5. The Pact Gym

The next morning dawned and Kagome was already in her local pact gym's dojo. Ordinary humans were unaware of the subterranean gym's existence as it was only for the use of reiki and youki users. It was made to serve as a safe space where energy could be expended, preventing problems throughout the day, and giving them the opportunity to hone their skills. The whole of the gym spanned several city blocks and were almost constantly occupied. There were facilities for martial arts, weightlifting, an archery range, and even a sports pitch and track.

Although many of the wealthier demons had gyms or dojos of their own, many opted to come once in a while to a public one run by the pact department just to test their skills against others and socialize with those who understood their unique lives and the secrecy demanded by the pact.

Kagome attended whenever she could. This morning she was training with a dulled naginata against a handsome blonde bird youkai, judging by the wings he kept politely and gracefully folded against his back. He elected to make use of a long sword as they slashed and hacked at each other. Most users of the facility, opted to work on their own, but Kagome had always been raised to respect the battle skill of youkai and reiki users alike. Before the pact, the country had been submerged in a civil war that had devastated the country and pitted reiki against youki in epic battles. Her grandfather was an amateur historian in the true history of Japan and had instilled in her and her little brother a great respect for the classic battles of the hard fought war.

With a violent twist, after matching blades, Kagome sidestepped the downwards blow of the youkai's sword and brought up the bottom of her staff to stop his downward progress. Locked in position, Kagome noticed the heavy panting of the golden bird before her, the sweat clinging to his golden locks and the tendrils of yellow clinging to his forehead. However she was so focussed on pulling together a strategy for defeating the youkai before her by using his exhaustion against him that she did not notice her fellow reiki user and cousin enter the dojo until he shouted her name.

"KAGOME! OI!"

On alert, she spun and noticed he was still a long way off, but in that brief moment forgot that but her opponent was not. Taking what advantage he could against her, he used this opportunity to extract his sword from under her naginata, raised it and hit the distracted miko on the head, causing a soft but distinct thwack with his training blade of bamboo.

"Ow!" she cried. Thank goodness for the human bands, otherwise his strength might've put the damn sword through her head, bamboo or not.

Turning briefly back to her partner with a grimace to bow to him and thank him for a good match, Kagome gathered her water and ran over to scold her cousin for distracting her.

"Dammit Miroku! I HAD him!" The retreating youkai could only chuckle in agreement. If he hadn't had to wear the human band, reducing his power to that of a human he might have been able to out-pace her and win in a slightly more honourable way, but as the demon war histories taught, any advantage was to be taken against ones foes.

"Gomen, Gomen, Kagome-chan!" Miroku begged, with his hands clapped before him in a slight bow. He had been excited to see his cousin, a fellow reiki user he was comfortable with, in the dojo that morning. There were rules in the public gym. For cross-spirit bouts both reiki and youki users had to wear human bands to level the playing field and ensure that neither party used their powers, considerable limiting the damage either could inflict.

However for those of the same power type, they were allowed to fight unrestrained by the bands, allowing them to make use of their spiritual powers, so long as they didn't draw on other innate powers like poisons, manifested weapons, or special attacks.

So when Miroku saw his cousin sparring, he got excited. Finally he would be able to have a proper fight.

"In recompense I can offer you first choice of weapon and a lunch afterwards, if you're still standing," he taunted. He knew though this was all bravado. His cousin needed no advantage; she had always been stronger than he was in holy powers, but where he lacked strength he made up for in creativity and cunning. Often this was not enough to defeat her though.

With a smirk, Kagome agreed, "You're on Miro-kun." Smiling on their way to the weapon rack, she casually suggested "Maybe this time try not to trip on your own robes. I don't know why you can't seem to tie it tight enough."

"Because, dearest cousin, if it is tied too tight how will my adoring public get to me when they want to?" he asked, winking to a nearby demoness who had paused on her way to the water fountain to observe her ecchi cousin. "I can't leave them thinking that my clothes are a barrier to my body. Clothes are meant to complement the form, and though they are an obstacle, they should be easy to overcome," he replied silkily.

"Kami, Miro-kun, you are one determined perv." She chuckled as they grabbed their weapons. He selected his favourite longstaff with the rings while she availed herself of a slightly longer naginata.

Dropping her human band at the side of the ring with her water, she allowed her powers to expand outwards before snapping back in place, glad to be free of the confinement. Assuming her positions across from her cousin in the combat ring, Kagome bounced on the balls of her feet. If she had to admit it, she was also excited to see her Miro-kun and have the opportunity for a real spar.

Bowing to her opponent, Kagome swiftly went in for the first attack. Slicing from the bottom diagonally, her cousin wisely jumped back out of the way, but she did not let him rest.

Pursuing her cousin around the ring with slashes and jibes, he proved himself a clever evader of her potent attacks, only a few times being clobbered with the pole.

Fed up with running though, Miroku threw up a barrier, effectively stopping her attack and repositioned himself into a position better suited for offence. Time for his staff to get to work. The jangly staff was louder and slower in attacks, but considerably heavier than the naginata he'd been hit with.

Lowering the barrier he threw himself at his cousin, throwing the girl off balance and forcing her back for a change. Then, swiping across her middle he briefly saw her smirk before she countered with her own weapon. They continued fiercely in this way for several more minutes, garnering the attention of several other dojo-goers who opted to stop and witness the battle. Kagome was already well known in their world as a real talent and many of them respected her deep reservoir of reiki even though she was a young miko. If she gained greater control of her powers she would soon be unbeatable in a real match.

"OI MIROKU!"

In that split second when Miroku turned, Kagome managed a slash against her cousin's chest that not only stung but had her declared winner. Raising her arms in victory she triumphed in her karmic win as Miroku dropped his weapon with a jingle of the rings and grabbed the welting stripe across his chest, grumbling about stupid hanyous and how he couldn't have waited for a more opportune moment to shout his name.

"Aww, don't feel bad Miro-kun!" Kagome chided, "At least you still have your dignity before all the pretty ladies," she taunted, gesturing to the smattering of youkai and reiki wielding ladies surrounding the combat ring who were laughing at the monk's antics.

Grimacing in defeat, he turned his anger on the one who had done this to him, his pact-partner Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha! Why did you have to do that?! I was winning!"

"Keh," the hanyou replied, having the good grace to look slight abashed as he sidled closer to the ring. "She had you the minute you chose that gargantuan thing," gesturing at his weapon, "I just thought I would cut to the chase and save you both the effort."

Kagome and Miroku joined Inuyasha outside the ring after collecting their weapons, allowing the next set eager to demonstrate their skills enjoy the space. Moving back towards the weapon rack as a group as the others set off, Kagome warmly greeted Inuyasha. Because of his position in their company she often saw him, but Lord troublesome insisted she keep her greeting brief and professional when in his office.

"It's nice to see you outside the office Inuyasha-san, but I didn't think you used the public dojo!" she knew from her cousin and grandfather that the Taisho manor on the outskirts of the city had a world-class facility and that the hanyou visited almost daily to spar with his older brother.

"I didn't come to work out against these cream puffs," he scoffed, his eyes trained on the water and bear youkai duelling in the ring. "I already sparred with Sesshomaru yesterday," Inuyasha boasted. His ability to survive spars with his brother, unbound no less, was impressive.

"Ahh," Miroku grinned with a knowing glint, "that's why you were typing with one hand yesterday – I thought it was weird that every e-mail that had to go out had some spelling error. You know you asked the agent in Thailand 'how nuch a beacy-sife oroperty would cost', right?"

Kagome giggled and Inuyasha scratched his head. "That's cause the bastard keeps trying to disable my sword arm after I accidentally almost removed his 50 years ago." He admitted. Sesshomaru held grudges and for decades since he had taken every opportunity available to disable his younger brother's arm, taking delight in the limp limb that would heal within a few days.

Lately though his brother had taken to exhausting any and all partners who came to the dojo, including their retired father whenever he was in town. Sesshomaru was riled and did anything he could to discharge youki before heading to work. Inuyasha suspected it had to do with the latest employee of the company to his immediate right.

"ehh…" Said new employee intoned with a note of jealousy, "I would love to face off against him one day," she wistfully mused. "I'll bet he has some crazy special attacks not to mention some incredible youki control."

Inuyasha looked slightly taken aback. "You would want to square against him? It's incredibly dangerous for anyone not to mention that you seriously do NOT want to face him without the human bands."

Miroku stepped in and vouched for her. "Kagome trains occasionally with our local kitsune family and neither uses the human bands when they do. It's an awesome sight. Kagome's positively intimidating when her powers are unbound and she doesn't have to worry about breaking her opponent." What he decided to leave out was that Kagome had since outgrown the kitsune family's powers and that her grandfather had encouraged her to avoid unbound bouts with demons henceforth.

"Sounds like our kind of fighter." Inuyasha smirked. The hanyou had been actively looking for a way to figure out the source of Sesshomaru's upset. By way of furthering his investigation Inuyasha slyly offered, "You should come out to the manor and try out your skills on us. I'm sure if you managed to coordinate your visit with one of Pop's visits he would be happy to see you as well." Although she had only met their father a few times before through her grandfather growing up, she had been intrigued with the big demon and former Lord of the West. Despite his intimidating size and his role in the wars he had always been kind and gentle towards her and she had taken an immediate liking to him. He had retired to their family estate on the shore of Lake Biwa before she had been born so she got very rare glimpses of the intimidating but merry family friend.

"Really?" Turning shining eyes to Inuyasha, "That would be great Inuyasha-kun! I would love to see Inu-Papa again, maybe I'll even bring gramps along. I know he would love to see him again. It's been so long for the both of them! Oh, I'm all excited now!"

Miroku and Inuyasha shared a smirk. She was easy to entice. Miroku could see what was going on in Inuyasha's head and fully intended to help to make it happen. They had discussed the changes in Sesshomaru at great length recently in the privacy of their corner office. After examining the evidence and his volatility patterns they decided it was Kagome and Kagome alone that was causing Sesshomaru's uncharacteristic upset. They had conferred and decided that if she seemed to genuinely like Sesshomaru in kind, they would do what they could to facilitate their union.

Using whatever dirty underhanded tactics they could.

Checking the time, Kagome shrieked in dismay and bolted for the changing room after bidding the pair a hasty goodbye and demanding that a groaning Miroku deliver her favourite bento box from her favourite local restaurant around 5 that evening. After all, she would more than likely have to work late again and around dinner time she always got the muchies, but rarely had an opportunity to grab a meal.

As she ran for her locker she mentally calculated her window. Sesshomaru's first appointment was in 30 minutes, she had yet to shower and dress and run the 10 minutes it took to get to the office. If she were to get there on time and avoid his wrath, she needed to bolt.


	6. Shadow on the Threshold

After arriving just on time to welcome the first appointment of the day, Kagome had settled into a comfortable rhythm of work. Her inbox was problem free, Inuyasha and Miroku had at least been convinced to reconsider the Thai office, Matsumoto's proposal had been cleared and had been delegated to the appropriate teams and all appointments for the day were set. The day was sailing along smoothly.

Her only cause for concern were the two new contacts Sesshomaru was to meet. A new medical researcher from Tokyo University was due at ten and the head of Kumo Corporation was due in at one that afternoon, the remainder of his day was taken up in conference calls and an appointment with Inuyasha over lunch to discuss the 'ridiculous' Thai project. While the student had given her no trouble over the phone and sounded downright excited to meet with the head of the powerhouse Taisho Inc., the secretary for the head of Kumo Corp. had given her greater cause for concern.

When she had expressed in her usual, exasperated tone at the demands of her boss that all contacts were expected to arrive early or in the very least on time for appointments the secretary, a Miss Kagura had responded that Mr. Nara would not respond well to such expectations. He apparently carried out business in an 'easygoing and flexible' way. Kagome had explained to the woman on the other line that punctuality had caused Sesshomaru to cancel or simply not accept more than one project in the past, to which the secretary had pledged that she would do all in her power to get Mr. Nara out the door in a timely manner.

It was odd, but Kagome had never heard of the Kumo corp. before now. Before noon, Kagome found herself with a few scant moments of peace over lunch, Kagome made a point to look up the business.

Pulling up a recent article, she discovered that the man coming after lunch was the founder and CEO of a relatively new company. The man had apparently inherited a fortune within the past 10 years and had amassed a competitive business in the years following using most of the inheritance as seed money. The article spoke highly of his business acumen and his cutting edge business.

Just then Inuyasha sauntered in, looking rather grumbly. _Hmm…. Perhaps Miroku wasn't the only one who wanted to visit the red light district…_

"Good morning, Inuyasha-sama, you're early today." Kagome bowed per Sesshomaru's instructions.

His face tightening in a grimace, Inuyasha groused "Keh, I wish you would just talk to me like normal."

As usual, Kagome defended her boss, for fear he might overhear her, "Inuyasha-sama, you know it's just good manners."

With another grumble, Inuyasha resigned himself to the inevitable. "Whatever."

"So how are things going in the VP's office?"

"Let's not discuss that – I'm pretty pissed at the bastard over the next expansion. You know he wants to move the next office from Thailand to Russia. RUSSIA!"

Shrugging in response, Kagome was fairly certain Sesshomaru was just messing with him, but she didn't want to get his hopes up. Plus she wouldn't put it past Sesshomaru to punish Inuyasha in such a way.

"So what are you up to? The bastard had any hissy fits today?"

Surprised that Sesshomaru didn't have Inuyasha by the throat for such language, Kagome sat down in her chair and pressed on with her research, "Just now I'm looking up Mr. Nara of Kumo Corp. Have you ever heard of him?"

"Nope. What's his industry?" he asked, coming around her desk to observe her screen over her shoulder.

"Looks like he does a little of everything from the articles I've read on him. His proposal for Sesshomaru sama is for metalworking of some kind with Totosai."

Brightening "Speaking of old coots, I called Pops today and he said he would come visit sometime in the next few weeks. He said you should bring your family and whoever else you like to the manor. Miroku is already coming. Pops even said he would be willing to spar with you!"

"Inuyasha, why are you inviting others to my home? Have you no sense of decorum?" interrupted a smooth baritone from the open doorway of his office.

Anticipating him, Kagome's head whipped around to the clock on her monitor, before quickly standing, smoothing out her skirt and formally gesturing Inuyasha through to the office with a practiced, "Dozo."

"Whoa Kagome, he's got you well trained."

The image Sesshomaru's beast flashed before him of the process of training the little miko threatened his control, arousing him in ways he wasn't comfortable analysing.

Inuyasha, chuckled knowingly and followed his brother into his office, before smirking at Kagome and closing the door.

 _Sessh, you need to get on that._

After trolling the articles on Kumo Corp., and thanking the kid from the mailroom who delivered that day's mail, she dove into the fresh pile of paperwork for the student's project, while keeping an eye on the time.

Sesshomaru liked his guests early but it was 5 minutes –to and there was no word from Mr. Nara. Waiting until a minute before the set appointment, Kagome snapped. She pulled up the inter-office messaging system, clicked on Miroku's face and frantically began typing.

Mirokun! His appointment isn't here yet! What do I do?

Within seconds her cousin responded. You called his office?

His secretary said he left on time. He should be here by now – his business is only 5 blocks away!

Do you have his number?

No!

Lemme see if I can get Inuyasha to stall… he should be in there now.

Breathing a sigh of relief and glad to have an ally on the inside, she typed back a relieved "Thanks!"

A stressful 5 minutes later Sesshomaru forcibly ejected Inuyasha from his office, meaning the doors flung open as Inuyasha was launched sideways across the foyer. Fortunately the force of his body hitting the door didn't knock him unconscious, for he was able at the last possible moment to twist in an arch to land in a crouch across from the door. Righting himself, Inuyasha sorted out his suit laughing all the while.

"If that's your response, maybe I _will_ make a play." Inuyasha chuckled cryptically. "That will certainly force the issue."

Sesshomaru standing beside her desk growling responded "You will do no such thing." In his most ominous tones.

Kagome meanwhile was having a fit. And constantly swivelling her head back and forth from Inuyasha to Sesshomaru to the elevator. If Mr. Nara happened to arrive now… Taking action to prevent another incident report, Kagome got up, skirted around Sesshomaru, and moved towards Inuyasha.

The hanyou smirked at his brother over his shoulder as Kagome gently pushed him towards the elevator. He simply couldn't get enough of the view his brother presented. The man was furious at his proximity to the miko, but as he refused to acknowledge his possessive instincts towards her, he was doing his level best to steel himself from dashing across the floor, throwing his brother out the window and curling himself around the miko.

This was too good.

Man, was he glad Miroku had asked him to stall and that he had brought up the notion of him taking out Kagome. It had taken all of 3 minutes of him talking about Kagome and her virtues for Sesshomaru to start to lose control. The final straw ended the conversation when he talked about inviting her to the Pact Gala, a yearly event where reiki and youki users got together and mingled. Almost like some sick American prom where expectation at the end of the night included sex and more than a few attendees woke up the next morning, mated to their significant other.

The thought of Kagome just consenting to sex with his brother convinced him to show Inuyasha what he thought of the whelp and his ideas.

He would have liked to have thrown him out the window, but they were on the 90th floor and with Inutaisho coming soon, he didn't want to have to deal with his overprotective sire.

Glaring at Inuyasha's glinting teeth as the elevators door closed and protected the hanyou momentarily from his elder brother's ire, he swung his attention to the miko. He could not in all good conscience demand she not date the whelp, though he wanted to. Instead…

"Miko, where is my 1:00?"

"He should be on his way." She admitted, standing by the elevator looking cowed. His hand clenched. He hated that look on her, but he knew of no way to cheer her up. Frustration at his affection for her, his brother and his late appointment he lashed out.

"Did you fail to inform them of my expectations? I thought that was an easy enough task made clear to you at the start of your employment with us. If you cannot handle something as simple as that perhaps your incompetency cannot be overcome." He could see her glistening tears at the corners of her adverted and shame-filled eyes, but he could not stop, the weight of his anger at his affection weighing heavily upon him.

"I really did inform his secretary," Kagome said, straightening, "but apparently he works on his own schedule."

"Indeed he does", interrupted a voice. The pair turned their heads to take in the form of a neatly made businessman approaching them from the stairwell door. Dressed in a well-tailored suit with short black hair cropped to the chin, both Kagome and Sesshomaru silently observed that Mr. Nara looked more meek office worker than intrepid mogul. His apologetic expression and slight frame spoke of a typical salaryman, but something about his attitude as he approached spoke of a carefree personality even as he bowed to Kagome and Sesshomaru.

"My apologies to both of you, though perhaps moreso to you Miss… Kagome?" At her nod he continued "I prefer to take the scenic route and when there didn't seem to be one I hadn't explored, I opted for the stairs."

Aghast at the politesse of the man and his lack of sweat Kagome eventually pieced it together. "But, you're a demon!"

With a smile Mr. Nara replied, "Hanyou, actually. I prefer not to advertise it even when I know my meeting involves a pact member. One never knows what humans could be lurking…"

Sesshomaru did not trust the man, but as he spoke he had lowered his disguise of the timid office worker. The man's hair lengthened in wavy black curtains down his back, his frame bulked and his eyes took on more of a satisfied gleam. Sesshomaru, to be polite had also lowered his enchantment, exposing his royal markings, golden eyes and silver hair.

This was by far one of the best parts of Kagome's job. Although she never expected to touch, just gazing on the majestic beauty of her boss and the other demons he did business with was a perk. Not to mention the honour of working for a house of the secret youkai royal family.

However, her latest humiliation at her bosses hands tempered her awe at his true appearance. Still feeling rather upset with her boss, she turned to Mr Nara, the last person to be kind to her and politely asked "Mr. Nara, would you like something to drink? Your trip up probably generated some thirst."

With an ingratiating smile Nara responded, "Some green tea would be lovely, Miss Kagome. Shall I come with you to prepare it?"

Kagome was about to accept his help, wanting to find out more about the elusive businessman, but Sesshomaru could take no more of the small talk or Kagome's simpering smiles for the hanyou that sent a distinct stab into his chest every time he saw it and selected that moment to intercede.

"Actually Mr. Nara, we're running behind. Kagome, bring in his beverage once it is ready."

Kagome bowed, disappointed, but agreed to do as she was bid and watched as Mr. Nara followed Sesshomaru into his office.

Kagome meanwhile headed to their mini kitchenette next to the supply cabinet and brewed Mr. Nara some supreme green tea. Rather than the ready-made tea, Kagome opted to prepare from scratch as she had learned in school.

Once the tea was thoroughly brewed and frothy, she approached the door, gently knocked and waited for Sesshomaru's low "enter" in a conversation break to proceed in.

Mr. Nara turned in his seat and graciously accepted the tea, before she laid a cup on the grand desk for Sesshomaru. As she was headed out the door, Mr, Nara stopped her "ano, Miss Kagome, is this genuine green tea? It's delicious." He complemented in even tones.

Blushing slightly Kagome bobbed her head in thanks for the nice words.

"I make it myself from Shizuoka green leaves. The farmers in that area aren't nearly as commercial as those in Kyoto."

"I concur. One of my side businesses is a small farm near Fuji where they harvest the best tea leaves…"

As the duo bantered back and forth Sesshomaru kept in place a stoic mask. Ordinarily, Kagome observed, he would have cut off their banter long before now, but all of his energy was forcing his youkai back into its unruly cage. _She had blushed, BLUSHED for the hanyou. She had smiled, she had submitted._ She was clearly smitten with his new business contact and a part of him was so upset at the notion that he was doing everything in his power to keep control.

Ordinarily, he would be comfortable snapping said control with less than this inducement, but as Mr. Nara was a hanyou, he could not magic away the man's memory. He would _know_ , and the last thing Sesshomaru wanted was for someone else to know his struggle. It was bad enough his own hanyou of a brother had pieced it together, but for a potential partner and rival too? Unacceptable.

To maintain his cover he reached for the tea cup she had brought him. Her tea making skills were ALWAYS above par. The deep flavour and the freshness of the smooth brew was so well crafted in the traditional manner that it never failed to calm him and remind him of the few happy memories of his youth. Had he ever told her that? Of course not. That was too intimate a conversation for him to engage in. Perhaps one day, when he was over this infatuation and they stood on better ground he would be comfortable enough to complement her, but he feared too much niceties with the miko would cause his control to slip.

Perhaps on that day she would blush for him, the beast suggested, playing in his mind the image of her blushing for him, smiling at him, laughing and enjoying her life alongside him. Indulging in the beast's fantasy, he allowed it to play further as he took his third and final sip of the tea. The beast conjured a life of tranquility and simple moments contrasted with evenings of fiery passion, her hair askew, thrown upon his bed in a fit of arousal as he rose up above her, ready to press forward…

Slamming his fist on the table he garnered the attention of the two in the room. He needed to get her out.

"Mr. Nara, I'm afraid we need to finish with our appointment as I have other matters to attend to this afternoon. Kagome, clear away the dishes." Kagome, gathered the finished cups in a moment of embarrassed tinkering and swiftly fled the room, allowing Sesshomaru and Mr. Nara to recommence the meeting.


	7. Contemplation

Later that evening, after he had finished his meeting with the hanyou and bid an excited if slightly browbeaten Kagome an early night slightly after eight, Sesshomaru remained at work, or at least behind his desk.

He had since closed the last file to be signed, turned off his computer and poured himself a choko of sake, and now he sat, sipping the strongest drink in Japan and pondering his personal problem.

Kagome.

Even now her name conjured a ghost of her, standing before his desk ready and eager for work with that cheerful smile and her boisterous personality.

He had often contemplated a solution to this, but as his tendencies towards her had increased, causing his control to slip more often, the situation was quickly coming to a head.

His beast was intent on claiming her. Even now the creature whispered to him lewd solutions to what the beast considered a problem.

Shaking his head to clear out the images and taking a sip to dull the input of his other side, Sesshomaru started anew.

Solution #1: Fire her. A non-starter, really. They would all know something was wrong. Despite how he had spoken to her that day she did her job incredibly well, often better than her Luddite grandfather. He couldn't even really blame her for the things he blamed her for. This afternoon had clearly not been her fault, but Mr. Nara's.

Although he ordinarily cut ties with businessmen like Nara, he was too mysterious a figure to let the hanyou do business without some oversight. The man was a mystery to the demon world. For a community as small as the youkai of Japan, post-wars to find a domestic youkai who was unknown before ten years ago was an oddity. He would keep an eye on the hanyou through close contact until it was no longer necessary.

But, back to his main issue.

Firing the girl would not do, and neither would transferring her. His enemies and family alike would know something was the matter, not to mention it would be a slap in Hideo Higurashi's face when he found out. The position she currently occupied was a prestigious one and the old man had a genuine interest in seeing that his old position was well staffed.

No, getting rid of her would do no good. Besides, prior to Hideo becoming his partner he had run through many reiki users before finding someone who he didn't immediately want to disembowel for idiocy. He cringed when he thought of what less worthy millennials would do in the hot seat.

Solution#2: Mate her.

This one gave him genuine pause. She was formidable for a miko, beautiful for a human and honest for anything. Both families would likely rejoice at the match and it would effectively end his beast's constant whisperings and his own voluntarily abstinent lifestyle.

 _In spectacular ways._ Ahh, there he was. His beast had gone curiously silent as he pondered surrendering to its whims. As the beast provided the imagined form of Kagome in his bed, writhing in pleasure under him Sesshomaru freshened his choko and took a long sip.

Gathering his wits, he pressed on.

Though mating her seemed the best option, there were considerable drawbacks. Firstly, she was a miko. Not just any miko, but his miko. There would likely be fallout for the inappropriate nature of their situation given he was her pact partner. They would have to contend with the Holy Alliance, the demon court, the Pact Organization and who knew how many other associations. This was nothing to the larger issues at hand.

Reiki-Youki relationships were rare and their bonding, though possible, was difficult. By taking her as his mate they risked much, for if they were even the least bit out of synch or incompatible they were at risk of killing each other. Although he had seen small glimpses of her true power, and heard the rumors of her awesome reiki displays in the dojo through the grapevine, these were not enough to go on. He would need to become very intimately acquainted with what she possessed in order to even consider mating her. This would be difficult as he was quite certain the miko felt little if anything towards him.

Of course, he was aware the miko found him attractive. On more than one occasion she had glimpsed him outside of his disguise and been unable to stop her body's response to him. He was confident she liked his form and lusted after him as he did to her, but he knew little of her feelings towards him. Would she be amenable to the match? Likely not as he had berated her that day, embarrassing her before others like a young pup who does not know how to express its feelings for a little girl.

No, he would need to know more. While she presented a challenge in her massive reserve that he had seen and knew this to be merely the tip of what promised to be an incomparable iceberg, he still had his doubts that she was the right person to stand beside him.

Sesshomaru had proven himself to be strong, if not the strongest demon alive. Half a century ago he had managed to best his own sire in competition. That was the day he had been crowned and he had only grown in power since. At that time Sesshomaru had been told by his father that although the stories about the wars made many a deceased youkai hero out to be formidable beyond compare, he was confident Sesshomaru was at least on par with them, but may even be stronger. Since then, Sesshomaru had only grown in strength.

Were he to take a mate, his lady would become half of the leadership the West. He would need a strong mate not just for her sake, but for his and their peoples as well. Although the miko could be trained to rule alongside him and he believed she would have an aptitude for it, she was still only a miko.

Were she a demoness, when his beast had suggested the mating he would have taken his advice. Should he take her to mate he would have to bury half his extended family and defend his throne against countless western youkai over his human, if miko, lady. There were still many who believed humans and reiki users were their natural enemies. He himself had only recently come around to the notion that hanyou were not the most reprehensible creatures, thanks in large part to Inuyasha's great and growing strength and loyalty.

Taking the miko would mean more bloodshed. He had been named Sesshomaru on his 50th nameday when he had come of age and while the name suited him as he was a competent killer, he was happy when the wars ended and peace was declared. To mate the miko would to be at war yet again and he could not put his family or people through that.

Thus he came to solution #3: Tough it out.

This seemed the only logical solution. To prove his strength against this weakness as he saw it and demonstrate his dominion of the rational over his beast he would see this thing through. He would work with the girl, develop a tighter grip of his desires and in so doing become a stronger youkai for it.

His youkai chose that moment to flash images of Kagome sitting on a bench in his garden suckling what was clearly his child by her and smiling up at him with a dreamy expression and a slight blush about her cheeks.

 _This is what you risk with your foolishness_ , the beast declared.

He did long for offspring and a certain degree of intimacy with another as any pack creature was prone to do. But he was not subject to the whims of his beast. He had other duties to see to and would approach the issue with rationality, not spontaneous cravings.

Taking a long final sip, he drained his cup.

But the beast was not done. _This is what you risk with your foolishness,_ he whispered again, increasingly distant, as if going to sleep.

Now the beast showed him the scene of the miko lying on a straw strewn cement floor. It was clear from the lack of movement and blood-soaked body that she was dead. Her blue eyes remained open and staring upward right at him, as if pleading for help.

This was the first time his beast had ever conjured such an image. It looked so real that he reacted violently. Standing up and knocking over his chair, growling and staring like a madman at the image before him, Sesshomaru could not believe his beast had the capacity for such sadism. Before long the image faded and panting ever so slightly in his fear he gradually regained his composure.

It was a threat from an increasingly desperate creature. She was under the protection of the house of the moon, there was no way she would die in such a way. This was an empty, though frightening threat. She was well protected and though she may never bear sons to the house of the west she would be protected as pack. But that was as far as she would ever go.

Finished in his deliberation, Sesshomaru headed for the door, turning the lights off as he went resolved to continue along with solution three.


	8. Protection

The next morning before dawn, Inuyasha sleepily drove up to the Taisho manor. Although Inuyasha was welcome at the grand manor, he preferred to keep his own apartment in the city rather than live with lord stick-up-his-ass.

Pulling into his usual spot just as the sky was lightening in colour, he turned the engine off, grabbed his swords from the backseat and vaulted over the side of his car, crunching down on the gravel drive. Rather than going into the house Inuyasha headed for the dojo, knowing he would find his brother already awaiting him there.

Sure enough, upon entering the dojo, his brother, in a meditative pose slowly opened his eyes in greeting as if bothered by Inuyasha's interrupting presence before rising and picking up his weapon.

As of late Sesshomaru had been ready to go earlier and earlier and demanded more and more of Inuyasha in the dojo. Fortunately Sesshomaru had decided not to tear into him immediately, but had entered into a series of kata, practicing the forms and moves of swordplay.

Taking advantage of the slight reprieve, Inuyasha quickly stretched what he could before Sesshomaru was suddenly dashing at him.

Raising Tessaiga in its sheath, he blocked the downward blow of Sesshomaru's own sword… Tenseiga?

Fuck.

Generally Sesshomaru's mood could be read in whichever sword he used in their dojo matches. The more fatal the sword, the easier he tended to go on Inuyasha. If he was wielding Sounga, it was likely that Inuyasha would make it through without any major wounds as Sesshomaru would engage in less-deadly matches, instead testing the sword's abilities and expecting Inuyasha to respond in kind. In that way they were generally equally matched and protected for that matter.

The days when he used the sword that could not cut were the worst. It meant that Inuyasha would be put through his technical swordplay paces, in close contact, without the opportunity to release a more powerful blanket attack. This also meant that he would be run through, hacked at, stabbed, and generally tenderized in any way Sesshomaru could think of to brutalize his half-brother. The fact the sword could not technically cut was the one small kindness he could expect to enjoy for the next hour.

If he was lucky and managed to create some distance, he might be able to use his blood for a more potent attack, but that would mean that Sesshomaru's poison whip would play a role, and though he had long since developed an immunity to his half-brother's personal brand of poison, the serum still burned like wildfire until his immune system managed to flush it out.

Today would not be kind.

On the other side of the locked swords, Sesshomaru was brooding. The beast had not taken kindly to the notion that his more rational side was trying to forget Kagome or their warning.

Why had it targeted her in the first place? He wondered as he blocked a blow from the unsheathed Tessaiga, before swiping again for his brother's leg. She was just another miko and one which should not have been cause for his demon to react to her so strongly, instead it should be hunting a powerful demoness worthy of sitting at his side and one who would not cause a war with their mating.

He _would_ get over this he mused, and focussed instead on his opponent.

Noticing Inuyasha guarding his arm, a lesson he had absorbed after so many sessions of beating it into him, he noticed that he was still leaving his left leg exposed. Mentally sighing in exasperation, he now had a lesson in mind and dashed forward to demonstrate. Taking his sibling by surprise he knocked him backwards and then immediately crouched to get a better perspective for the swipe of the sword that took his unsuspecting sibling down.

With an audible "oof" Inuyasha fell to the mat, and groaning in exaggerated pain, sat up, while Sesshomaru stood on the other side observing his 'ailing' brother. Clearly the fool had not yet noticed. He smirked, waiting for the inevitable…

"Geeze Sesshomaru, do you HAVE to be such a bastard?" The hanyou griped as he pulled his feet in to stand. At the sound of the clang he stopped. Pushing his knee down with the palms of his hands, he observed that Tenseiga was embedded in his calf. "Sesshomaru!" the hanyou bellowed, tugging at the sword which had disabled his muscles

Ah, now he'd seen it.

"You weren't protecting your side. I was merely demonstrating your weakness."

"Ya… well… uh… you could have just hit me there, you didn't have to drive it through my leg!" he grunted as he slowly extracted the blade. Though it could not cut the leg, the sword was still matter, and matter passing through matter had consequences, in this case jamming up the proper functioning of whatever it was shoved through.

"Indeed, but this seemed more effective."

Wincing at the re-adjusting muscles in his legs as he stood up and tested the weight, Inuyasha asserted "You realize there isn't a war on right now, so it isn't completely essential that you-" Inuyasha broke off as Sesshomaru's poisoned whip came hurtling at him.

How _dare_ he.

Their brothers and sisters had fallen in the Reiyou wars before the pact was signed. Takemaru was the last to fall and Sesshomaru had been there. As Takemaru had slashed his way deeper into the field to take down the head priestess, Sesshomaru had been tracking him whenever he got a moment to spare.

To this day he still felt his older brother had been cheated out of an honourable death by that bitch of a miko on the field that day. Sesshomaru had since made peace with the nature of reiki and managed to forge scant few relationships with good, honourable reiki users, but he still bore a grudge against the miko that had stolen his brother from him.

When the blinding light had subsided and the dust had settled, the miko, her assistant, Takemaru and the second son of the eastern bear tribe were absorbed into a small round pink jewel. The high monk, now in charge with the loss of Midoriko had collected the gem and the fighting had stopped.

Sesshomaru had quit the field then, leaving his father to hammer out the pact. He couldn't be trusted to act as a diplomat at the moment. Instead he had flown to the castle his father had secured to protect the infant Inuyasha and his mother. As he gazed at the face of his bemusedly happy infant half-brother, he took stock. All that remained of his house was Inuyasha, his father, his father's wife and himself. His mother, sister Aiko, brothers Takemaru, Yukimaru and Korumaru were all dead and gone.

In that moment Sesshomaru swore he would protect his only remaining sibling. Even though peace seemed certain now that the evil miko was gone, he would remain strong for his youngest and only remaining sibling.

The real reason why he demanded Inuyasha train with him whenever possible was so that he learn proper combat skills. He would not always be by his brother's side, and as a hanyou of the house of the moon he would have a giant target on his back for any who thought they could best a mere hanyou of their royal house, so the best gift he was able to give his brother was the gift of self-defence. He suspected Inuyasha resented him and his techniques, but every other day the hanyou returned to the manor before the crack of dawn to engage in another mock battle and receive (more often than not) another beating. It was not in Sesshomaru's nature to go easy on an opponent and lavish praise, but if his brother could stand against him at his full strength, he could stand against anything.

He had only ever sworn one vow, on the day he assumed his father's position as ruler of the west. Watching the smiling, jubilant faces of his citizens on his coronation day, he swore to always put his duties first. These people had lost much in the wars and the wounds to their community still felt fresh. He resolved never to engage in another war if he could help it and always do his utmost to protect their happiness.

Feeling the need to get this match over with before he damaged something permanently in his brother, he changed the attack intensity, causing Inuyasha to gasp at the sudden change.

Sending his whip around Inuyasha's leg, he got a hold and pulled, knocking him on his back before he dashed forward with his poison claws.

Before he could get there, Inuyasha had already bared the soft tissue of his neck to his gaze in defeat.

Dissipating his whip, he accepted Inuyasha's surrender and gently wrapped his hand around his throat in acceptance before standing tall, offering his brother a hand and calmly walking towards the exit.


	9. Shrine Visit

"And all his appointments were on time?"

"For the thousandth time, yes!" She exclaimed, exasperated, "I made sure all of his appointments knew his strict lateness policy and made sure that all things were dealt with on time!"

Her grandfather had been going through a laundry list of things that might upset Sesshomaru, trying to find a solution to his granddaughter's problem. They were discussing this on the shrine grounds as he swept the cobbled pathways on a sunny Saturday morning. The leaves had just begun to softly fall and their momiji tree had bloomed particularly lush that year, barely giving the old man a moment's rest.

Mr. Higurashi was fond of Sesshomaru. After all his years working for him he genuinely missed seeing his former pact partner on a daily basis. Fortunately it seemed he had made some impact on the stoic demon lord as well for since his retirement Sesshomaru had been to see him a couple of times to see how he was keeping and enjoy the peaceful grounds of the sunset shrine. Sesshomaru was, in Hideo's opinion, an old soul. He had participated in the wars before the pact and knew firsthand why peace was being kept in this way.

In all their years working together, the Demon Lord-cum businessman had only once spoken of the time before the Pact. In his usual intonation he had described a time so blood-soaked and horrifying that the young monk had been thankful he had not been there to see it. From his own historical digging he had seen the sheer numbers of youkai and reiki users and their lines obliterated. Many of Sesshomaru's own family including his mother, several siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins had fallen in the battles.

Hideo Higurashi had proudly served Sesshomaru the Lord of the Western lands for more than 45 years and had hoped that his granddaughter would be able to take up the reigns of their 'family tradition', so here he was, being interrogated by his granddaughter in order to solve this genuinely perplexing 'numbers problem'.

"What about the filing, you know if you don't have a reliable person to file things the whole system turns into a mess." He suggested.

"I told you Grandpa, the new cloud computer system has solved that! If the hard copy is mislaid, we can pull it up on the computer whenever we want. That's not it. There must be something else!" She whined. Her frustration with her inscrutable and temperamental boss getting the better of her.

"Sounds like you have done all you could. If I think of anything else I'll call you. Something must be off..." he trailed. Hideo wondered now, for the umpteenth time if it was her miko powers that had set him off. From a young age Kagome's powers had manifested and manifested so strongly that there could be no doubt she would be a gifted reiki user. Occasionally when he was able to witness her full powers deep in meditation next to his granddaughter under the god's tree, he found himself in awe of his own kin.

 _Not to mention…_

 _But Sesshomaru, perhaps..._ the old man mused, _perhaps his youki sees her reiki as comparable_.

If this were the case it would explain the odd numbers and create a whole new set of problems.

"Shall we meditate for a bit? That always served to calm you down," he suggested. From what he had heard of her week it was unlike anything he had experienced in the employ of the demon lord and he could see that she was in need of a good moment of tranquility.

"That sounds good grandpa." She relented, her face immediately giving up its scowl for a slight smile. She knew her reiki had been particularly untenable lately and needed a good focus session to get it back in line.

Her grandfather made his way next to the well house and propped his broom against the side before leading the way over to the god tree on the grounds. Few visitors came here so they should remain unseen, but even if they were seen, all the humans would see were a grandfather and his granddaughter meditating under the sacred tree on a sunny day.

Assuming her favourite spot under the tree Kagome folded her legs and closed her eyes, breathing deeply and searching for her erratic powers. Once she got a handle on them, she slowly pulled them out and into her hands, sitting together in her lap. Forming a ball of her energy she gradually let it expand before it encompassed the pair under the tree. A small feat for her, really, so she fought to push it further and managed to encase the tree itself. From her side she heard her grandfather's intake of breath as she pushed her reiki out for further practice.

As usual Hideo was impressed, but Kagome was not yet satisfied and strained to contain the grounds of the shrine, the god's house, their family home, the torii at the top of the stairs and the stairs themselves. She dared not push it further for fear of frightening a demon living nearby. The kitsune family living next to the shrine knew her reiki signature and that she meant them no harm, but others might be walking past.

Instead she decided to push her reiki upwards, higher and higher she pushed her reiki until her powers were at least 6 stories tall. At that point her grandfather reached over and tapped her on the shoulder, "Kagome, that's enough," he murmured in a tone that brooked no questions to stop her from lighting a beacon above the shrine.

Demons were still wary around reiki and any blazing reiki towers would surely result in problems for the shrine and the arrival of the on call squad. Kagome had the courtesy to blush and recompress her powers into a small ball into her lap, no larger than a ping pong ball and refocussed her efforts into calming her energy.

Never before had Hideo seen reiki users of her caliber before. He was worried that if she was not careful and if her powers continued to grow, the pact council may at some point try to force her to wear a subjugation necklace that would trap her powers indefinitely, or worse, investigate. He prayed that wasn't the case but if at any point a monk or miko was capable of obliterating all demons within the city in a heartbeat something would inevitably have to be done by the council.

Settling in once again into a quiet meditation, sifting through her powers and soothing them as best as possible, the pair settled into a relaxed silence, listening to the chirping of the birds and feeling the intermittent warmth of the sun as the leaves above shifted and exposed them to its bright rays.

It was in this position that he first spotted them.

Sesshomaru had felt the expanse of her reiki encapsulate the shrine grounds as he approached for a visit. He had not, however expecting to see his miko there.

Reaching out his youki to alert the pair to his presence both Kagome and her grandfather cracked open their eyes against the light and saw him striding towards them across the shrine grounds.

Getting up quickly and eager not to appear rude to her employer in front of her smiling grandfather she helped her grandfather rise before giving the demon lord a respectful half- bow before smiling in greeting up at him. Hoping against hope that her grandfather's shrine would be a neutral zone.

Biting back salivary glands that wanted desperately to sink into the weak flesh her hair inordinately exposed as she bowed, Sesshomaru gave a warm greeting to his friend and pact-partner.

"Good morning Kagome-san, Hideo-san. I hope today finds you well."

Kagome was slightly agog as Sesshomaru-sama was overly polite, but her grandfather seemed not to notice.

"A fine day to you as well Sesshomaru-sama. I've been hearing Kagome has been working hard to settle into your office. I hope you aren't being too harsh with her."

"You know me Hideo-san. I can often be harsh, but I hope Kagome-san knows not to take it to heart. She has been working exceptionally hard and fitting in quite well. Your granddaughter does you proud."

This was easily the highest praise she had ever received from him and the shock of hearing it caused a delay in her response. Upon her grandfather's obvious cough, she managed to snap out of it and responded with another bow and "Thank you Sesshomaru-sama! I'm glad you think so!" She said beaming.

Something in him was totally and utterly content in that moment, on that shrine with a monk and a miko in the early morning with the wind softly playing in the boughs of the god tree above, with his miko, really and truly happy with him and the world. He wanted the moment to last forever. All too soon though, he decided he needed to end the moment and announce his reason for coming.

"Hideo, I have come to see how you fare and personally invite you to a weekend at the manor. My father is coming to town and he has expressed a desire to see you as well as Kagome."

"Ahh," Hideo responded, "Kagome mentioned it earlier. I would be delighted to come along."

"Excellent," Sesshomaru intoned, clearly delighted with Hideo's decision. He really did miss the old guy, but was somewhat saddened to see his character had matured now that he did not have to act like a senile old crotchety secretary. He was calmer in a way Sesshomaru was saddened to see, for in the weeks since he last came into the office it was clear the old man had slowed. Human lives were over all too quickly. In that moment he was truly grateful Hideo had decided to appoint Kagome to him. It was a lease on the spirit and energy of the Higurashi family. As humans their years were short and precious and to have been honoured with the bulk of Hideo's and been granted some (if not most) of Kagome's as well was a kind contribution. He would do what he could to honour it.

Kagome in that moment remembered her appointment at the dojo and made her apologies to the pair before heading to the house to collect her things and the many bags of vegetables her mother shoved at her before heading to her apartment.

Granting a wave to the pair standing on the gravel walk, Kagome sprinted down the stairs and out of sight. Allowing Sesshomaru and Hideo to spend the rest of the morning pleasantly engaged in conversation about the business, office changes since he left and how Kagome was fitting in. He had a pleasant visit, but needed to head off for another gala event, so he said his goodbyes and left Hideo at the shrine and stepped into his car and drove away.

Hideo, stayed at the top of the stairs, still rather confused. He and Sesshomaru had enjoyed a pleasant conversation, but something was amiss. He could tell from his years of observing the demon that he was deeply troubled by something. He concluded from what Kagome had told him that morning about their numbers and Sesshomaru's deeply upset youki that Kagome was the centre of the problem.

Hideo did not know what to make of this situation. He knew for certain though that when InuTaisho came to town he would most definitely be pulling him aside to consult. This was something bigger than just Sesshomaru and Kagome at this point.


	10. Return to the Gym: Part One - Blue Match

That afternoon she met up with Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango at their local gym. Kagome had arranged it after her last bout with Miroku. When Inuyasha heard he had asked to come as well. Then Sango found out about it. Before long she was introducing her friend to her cousin and his pact partner. Kagome rented a private room so they could have unbound matches without having to worry about hurting others. It was rare to find people willing to have an unbound match with different powers, so they were all quite excited.

Kagome had sworn them all to secrecy. Her grandfather had told her after she outgrew the kitsune family never to go unbound with a demon, but since Inuyasha was only half-demon she chalked it up to a technicality and prepared for the fight.

The room was cavernous, they all observed, Inuyasha was the only one who kept his thoughts to himself as he had been in one before. He did grudgingly admit that while the pact gyms were nothing to his family' dojo, they weren't half-bad. Like the rest of the gym they were protected with barriers to prevent damage and collapse as well as sound and aura from leaking out and exposing them all.

"Let's get going guys," Kagome encouraged. They only had the room for an hour and if they all wanted a turn they would have to move fast. Without speaking the team set their things down on the side of the sandy arena, before coming together in a standing circle to decide the order. While they had been waiting outside the room they had agreed on tournament style and Kagome had just managed to show off how they would decide the order.

Pulling her set of four strings out, each of them silver on top with bottoms of either pink or blue Kagome carefully clasped them between her hands and rubbing her hands together, mixed up the order. Then, hiding the bottoms in a carefully clasped fist, she instructed "Everyone takes a string. The two with the blue tips go first." Inuyasha pulled first and got pink, disappointed, he moved for the sidelines as Sango pulled out the first blue of the day.

Letting her pony tail swing in happiness, Sango waited in front of the cousins to see who she would be matched with. Miroku, mock glaring at his cousin before pulling the next pink let his face drop and sullenly plodded over to sit next to Inuyasha, secretly disappointed he didn't get to go toe to toe with the slayer, as Kagome revealed she had the last blue.

She and Sango headed to the weapon rack. Sango opted for a giant boomerang, something of a specialty weapon she had been trained with by her people, the demon slayers turned guardians. While Kagome stuck to a naginata. She figured the naginata would do little against the massive weapon, but in trying to keep it non-lethal she supposed arrows would do her little good.

All that training and she never got a chance to make use of it!

The boys watched as the girls faced off, bowing respectfully to one another before running at each other full speed.

Inuyasha was the one who started the betting. "With that giant boomerang, your cousin doesn't look like she stands a chance." He placidly observed as Sango just managed to nick Kagome in the back of the leg with the tip of her weapon, but had still managed to send the girl to the dirt.

"True," Miroku agreed, "but if you think Kagome's can't overcome a disadvantage, you are terribly misinformed." He sagely commented.

They look fairly evenly matched in speed and size Inuyasha gauged, and by the number of times Sango had already sent Kagome on the defensive or on the out and out run, he felt confident enough to say, "5000 yen on the slayer."

Miroku, more than confident in his cousin agreed with a smirk, jubilant his pact partner had no clue what was coming. "You're on."

Inuyasha carefully observed the match. It was clear from the beginning Sango had the corner on might and even though her weapon was massive, she managed to keep up with the miko who was unable to use her powers for any discernible effect on a human. Every time she landed a blow on Kagome, it had a considerable impact. With a growing sense of dismay though, Inuyasha could see Kagome was making her way closer to Sango, who was focussed on releasing and catching the boomerang in close succession. However, the match would be over the moment Kagome got within striking range. He had seen enough of her close combat skills to know that despite the girth of the boomerang which might block Sango for a while, her defence no match for the miko's creativity in a close fight.

At one point Kagome miscalculated a step or two, misjudged how far the reach of that giant thing was and Sango managed to whack her in the ribs. With a loud "oof," Kagome fell, but in a heartbeat was up again. Wincing, but defended.

When Kagome went on the offensive again and managed to get within her first strike distance of Sango, their faces flushed, their breaths panting, Inuyasha snorted. Miroku glanced at his friend out of the corner of his eye and noticed his face scrunched up in a supressed laugh.

"Good kami, Inuyasha. Don't tell me it took you this long to realize we were watching girl on girl."

At that Inuyasha broke out in full out laughs, joined briefly by Miroku shortly before both were ducking for their lives as a boomerang and a reiki blast made their way for them.

Sango caught the boomerang on the rebound but while Kagome had not cheated to gain extra ground while Sango had thrown her main weapon of defense away, she had neither moved back and when the fight recommenced she was within her second strike distance. Sango, now unable to throw her weapon was reduced to blocking hits with her boomerang and cursed the agreement that they would have one weapon only in the ring. When she had trained with her parents and brother, she'd always had a backup sword for when matches got too close. The boomerang wasn't completely useless though. If she could just maneuver it in a small space and land a critical hit the match might still be hers.

Sango, twisted it around and swung but at the last moment Kagome sidestepped out of the weapon's trajectory and brought her weapon arm up, swiping with deadly accuracy at her friend's neck, stopping right before a hit.

Sango conceded with a shouted "YIELD!" and the match was over.

Clapping her friend on the back, with an enthusiastic, "Thanks for the match Sango-chan! I think you might have broken a rib though." She observed, as she lifted her shirt to inspect the reddened abdomen.

Sango for her part was completely contrite "I'm so sorry Kagome-chan! Do you need Miroku, or need to go to the medical officer?" She asked, concern obvious in her voice.

Kagome brushed it off and immediately began to summon her powers to the spot to heal the bone. That damn boomerang might not have anything sharp on it, but man it packed a punch!

Though it was less dramatic than other feats of reiki healing Sango had been witness to, it never failed to amaze her when previously serious injuries were rendered insignificant within a few moments with a bit of concentration.

Once, healed, Kagome reached for Sango's arm where she made her first hit, a shallow slice that barely qualified as a hit when Inuyasha called from the sidelines.

"OI! Deal with non-essential problems on your time! It's time for me to beat the monk."


	11. Return to the Gym: Part Two - Pink Match

Inuyasha was already grumpy, having lost his bet to Miroku and was eager to even out his luck. While the girls had been healing their larger wounds the guys had taken the initiative and selected their weapons and were ready to go. As usual, Inuyasha had chosen a longsword and Miroku had chosen his jangly staff.

As it was an unbound fight they agreed Miroku would be able to use sutras, barriers and reiki blasts and Inuyasha would be allowed to use his own abilities. The two had squared off before, so they both knew their own abilities well enough to start without drawing up a list.

Once the girls had reached the side, Kagome finished healing Sango's cut before Sango had dashed off to return her boomerang. Although she was somewhat miffed she wouldn't get to go up against either of the guys, her match with Kagome had been eye opening. She realized that she had a lot of weaknesses even working with her weapon of choice and was grateful that she had new avenues for improvement open to her now.

The match started quickly with two brisk bows and only a brief moment in their fighting stances to indicate they had started. Inuyasha as usual took the lead with the first attack, dashing in with an overhead downward slash. Miroku blocked with his staff and sent a charged sutra at Inuyasha to push him back again.

Unlike other matches, she was glad to see her cousin was putting in a strong fight. Initially she thought it had to do with the fact they had rented the room and he wanted to make the most of their time. But upon seeing Sango watching the monk she thought better of it.

 _He's trying to impress her. But Kami! It's working!_ Kagome rejoiced.

Miroku was handsome, if she was forced to look at her gross cousin that way, but she didn't know if he was ready for a relationship. He had a habit of propositioning women in the most inventive ways. Fortunately she had already complained about her perverted cousin to her friend, so Sango already knew full well what she was getting into with Miroku.

Kagome was the one to start the betting on the guys' match.

"I'll put 3000 yen on Inuyasha." She announced, appraising Inuyasha's fine form and hasty but well planned strikes. Its clear Sesshomaru's been training him. The brashness in his attacks spoke of Inuyasha's character, but the tactics of angles and advantages spoke of Sesshomaru's calculations and strategies.

"I don't want to lose 3000 yen!" Inuyasha was a celebrated fighter in the pact world and it would be foolish to think a monk, even a skilled one like Miroku could take him. However, she considered, the monk did seem to be holding his own against the lightning-fast hanyou.

"500 yen." Sango countered. The monk had some small chance of winning, right? He was keeping up with attacks and blending sutras, reiki blasts, barriers attacks with his staff seamlessly, fending off the hanyou expertly, clearly experienced with combat against Inuyasha. He deserved a bet in his favour. Even if he didn't win, 500 yen was only enough for a cup of coffee and a pan somewhere, so it shouldn't matter.

Kagome smiled at her friend's support of her cousin. "Deal," Kagome agreed, mentally planning what pan she would get.

Thinking further about the potential relationship between her cousin and her friend she decided it might work out. While Miroku was an incorrigible womanizer, Sango was equal parts strong, beautiful and kind which would get his attention, and her spitfire nature would keep it. She might actually be perfect for him, depending on if he managed to keep it in his pants long enough to realize how wonderful she was.

The match was over within ten minutes. Miroku knew that if he was ever going to beat his pact partner, he would need to do it within the first few minutes, but never managed to get that devastating and fast blow he needed to see his friend yield. Instead, Miroku having taken the brunt of the beating called it a match with a shouted "Yield" from a prone position after one of Inuyasha's blood attacks took him by surprise and cut clear through his loose fitting gi.

Kagome and Sango, concerned about Miroku, had run out on the pitch after hearing him end the match to find him lying in wait on his side, with his head propped up and his knee bent in his most convincing 'inviting pose'. Once spotted he asked, "Care to join me, ladies," in the most sensuous tone he could muster.

Sango blushed and stormed off the pitch while Kagome kicked at the knee ready to entrap the unwary, forcing him onto his back so she could better assess his wounds.

Miroku reflected that though he had given his all in this match, had done better in previous matches against Inuyasha. Clearly Sesshomaru's training with Inuyasha had increased in intensity lately as Inuyasha was more impervious to reiki and his attacks had increased in speed and strength.

With a knowing glint he assessed his cousin, oblivious as she removed his gi to better access his wounds. Kagome didn't know the fury behind the beast that was secretly pining for her.

"Geeze, Miroku. Are you completely blind?"

At the soothing cool of his cousin's reiki on the deepest of the many slashes that blood attack had left, he sighed, "My eyesight is perfect, dearest nurse. Whatever could you mean?"

"Sango likes you," she harshly whispered, reminding him of his earlier pose and less than subtle proposition.

At this Miroku, still enjoying the healing process perked up and craned his neck upwards so he could see Sango, talking to Inuyasha as the crossed the pitch towards them.

"Really…" he considered. She was his type. Gorgeous, intelligent and most handily a member of the pact world, they wouldn't need to have secrets in a relationship like that. "I would go for that."

 _Go for that_ , she thought, exasperated with her cousin's lack of tact. _She isn't a ball someone threw at the park, idiot._ But Miroku was accustomed to getting his way with women and freely trading them in when he was done. This time though, she wanted to see what would happen if he learned some fidelity. If he could be loyal to his pact partner, he could do it with the right woman, he just needed the right encouragement. "Mirokun, I give you leave to pursue my friend, but can you do me this one favour?"

"What?" Miroku, now on guard asked. Kagome often looked down on him for his philandering ways. If this was some kind of no sex deal…

Whisper sinking even lower as Sango and the hearing-sensitive Inuyasha approached, Kagome warned, "You can date her, but do not have sex with or proposition _other women_ so long as you are dating my friend."

Miroku was initially affronted at the idea, but relented. He had messed up several relationships that way. He could understand Kagome's instinct to defend her friend, but judging by her performance in the ring Sango didn't need defending. Her handling of the boomerang had been expert and impressive. Here muscles bunching and releasing in quick succession with impressive aim were hypnotic.

He couldn't wait to see the rest of her form.

"Fine." He whispered seconds before Sango made it into earshot.

Quickly finishing up with Miroku and leaving him to Sango, Kagome moved over to Inuyasha to heal some of his reiki burns on his arms and chest. By the time she got there Inuyasha griped, "Come on Kagome, they are already mostly healed. Let's go!"

But Kagome persisted and managed to start healing the worst of his wounds before responding, "But I want a fair match, Inuyasha. I don't want you losing and then giving Miroku partial credit for my win."

Kami, she was confident. Inuyasha held still for the rest of his healing and afterwards regarded his unblemished skin with approval before getting restless waiting for Miroku and Sango, now engaged in companionable conversation to wander their way to the sidelines.

Before he managed to open his mouth, Kagome bellowed "Hurry up you two! I've got a hanyou to purify!"


	12. Return to the Gym: Part Three - Final

Miroku and Sango sat companionably on the side, glad they had managed to lose the first round now, if just to watch what promised to be an epic match. They only had twenty minutes left so they two of them had better make the best of it.

Kagome stuck with her naginata, but Inuyasha went to the sideline and picked up the parcel he had brought with him, covered in a thick canvas. He unwrapped the item to reveal inside was the legendary sword Tessaiga.

Miroku had warned him Kagome could more than likely hold up to his attacks so he had brought his personal sword, just in case. After witnessing her match against Sango, he had decided to at least use it so if it turned out she could withstand his attacks and her miko powers were that formidable, he would open up some higher level attacks.

"Kagome!" he shouted, headed back for his face off point in the ring. "I'm going to use the Tessaiga." At this Kagome's eyes lit up, clearly excited at the idea of being taken seriously. The Tessaiga was his father's famous sword that he had wielded in 100 battles. Despite often being where the action was thickest, the Inu Lord had never been taken down, leading to the fame of both the wielder and the blade.

"But," he continued, "I'm only going to use special attacks if I think you can handle them."

"I can handle them." She insisted.

"I'll be the judge of that. This weapon has the power to kill 100 demons in one swing. Even with your barriers, I imagine it could do some severe damage."

From the sidelines Miroku and Sango were now standing, no longer comfortable enough to sit while watching what may turn into the slaughter of their friend. But when they looked to Kagome it was clear she was anything but worried. She was downright excited. Kagome told Inuyasha, "Don't you DARE take it easy on me. Anything you got, I can take it so bring it on little puppy," she announced with fake condescension.

No longer in serious, 200-year old hanyou mode, Inuyasha taunted, "Now, Kagome, I think we both know who has been training with the sadistic master and will be handing your ass to you today." He replied in a fake sweet tone, "If you ask nicely, I'll only use one hand."

That was enough. Kagome this time was the first to dive in, swiping her reiki charged naginata at the loudmouth across from her, deciding to target the leg he neglected to guard, like an idiot.

He jumped further back and stared at her in awe for a moment. Damn, the wench was just like Sesshomaru in a lot of ways and frankly it rattled him to see his brother's cunning and vindictive side in the little miko across from him. To try and rile her into making a stupid mistake, he continued his line of taunts.

"Kagome, whoa, calm down. I'll beat you in no time, no need to rush."

Once again Kagome was seeing red, but thoroughly kept her wits about her. She considered her options as they circled. This time she let him rush in. He chose to lead with a sideways swipe which Kagome just barely managed to dodge.

She had to hand it to him, Inuyasha had force behind his attacks and though he might not be the greatest tactician his style was fearsome, like the samurai of old, charging in, with a ferocious look on his face and a battle cry to match more often than not. It was refreshing.

After several minutes of this back and forth, both of them realized that holding back would get them nowhere and they were running out of time.

Inuyasha was getting 'tired of this shit' and jumped back to the opposite side of the ring, announcing that "That's enough playing miko, get ready for some real attacks." Inuyasha then rocketed into the air and threw all his might into something he screamed was called a 'wind scar'.

The room erupted in sound and wind, yet despite the all-encompassing sensory disruption of the attack, it was very directly singling her out. She just barely managed to erect a barrier before it hit and when it did, she struggled to keep it up. _What WAS this?_

Thankfully on the sidelines Miroku had anticipated the attack and managed to put up a barrier around himself and Sango to protect them from the debris of what had once been a ring. When the dust cleared, all that remained of the arena was a deep furrow down the centre and sand on either side with the exception of Miroku and Kagome's barrier. Miroku breathed a sigh of relief moments after the sharp eyed hanyou breathed one of his own.

The moment he unleashed his attack he had been worried. _Would she be OK?_ Miroku had bragged of her strength, but a direct wind scar was one of his more powerful attacks. Even Sesshomaru was proud of them. He was jubilant and a little surprised when he saw her emerge from the dust that took over the pitch with a smirk on her face.

Kagome for her part was excited that she was final being taken seriously and had obviously graduated to the next class of youkai fighting.

Letting out a loud whoop, Kagome yelled across to the hanyou, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" She praised, finally glad to be able to test her full powers. She briefly closed her eyes and expanded her aura, before sucking it back in and pushing it into her naginata which now glowed pink.

Inuyasha was slightly amazed at the shimmer she injected into her weapon, but quickly had to jump back for she was on the offensive again, and this time she meant business if the speed and determination with which she followed him was anything to go by.

She was slashing and hacking with such accuracy he barely managed to block her more ferocious strikes. Unlike normal humans she wasn't slowing down, but speeding up. Before long she landed a blow on his upper arm and with a bite of reiki his skin began to burn. His frustration growing by leaps and bounds that he was unable to land anything on her, he growled to himself "Enough of this running bullshit!" as he launched himself into the air and raised his sword above his head, "BACKLASH WAVE".

Because she was so close from her last cut, Kagome did not have time to erect a proper barrier this time. When her barrier gave out within seconds of his attack landing, Inuyasha's heart sank.

 _Here lies the foolish hanyou, who killed his alpha's intended mate, committing seppuku before his brother could find him and do worse_ , he decided his epitaph would read. He looked on eagerly, but without much hope she had made it.

When the dust cleared this time, Miroku and Sango were on their feet. He had seen the attack hit and her barrier give out before visibility were cut off. Panicked for his cousin, he prepared to run onto the pitch to heal her and send Sango for the medic on site, but when the fog cleared all were amazed to see Kagome, standing and for the most part unscathed.

When her barrier had given out Kagome had switched to her reiki charged weapon and managed to wield it skillfully enough to dissipate the attack as much as possible. But Kagome was still sore. More than the burn of the angry red patches that looked as if they were cooked in the sun on her arms, neck and face, her ego was hurt. Her inability to erect a proper barrier in time bothered her and her power relative to that attack which had even more bite than the last irked her. However, she reminded herself, I do have other skills I haven't pulled out yet.

 _Let's even this up._

Inuyasha had assumed she would cave after that last attack, but Kagome was not done. The attack had stung, but her reiki was already at work healing her wounds. If anything that attack had merely deepened her resolve. Allowing her powers in the naginata to dissipate, she threw it to the side and gathered her reiki in her hands.

If he wanted to throw power, she would show him how it was done. Throwing pure reiki at him wouldn't kill him as he was only half demon, but it would burn and hopefully slow him down until she could get into position for a 'kill strike' with her bare hands.

As she hurtled reiki blasts at him, only interrupted by intermittent barriers she threw up to protect herself against another elemental attack, Sango and Miroku looked on, concerned.

"Do you think we should stop them?" Sango asked her partner.

"I think they will be OK," he assured her. "Inuyasha has exceptional control and it would take hours of reiki exposure to permanently damage him." Despite his brave face, Miroku also had his doubts. Inuyasha was exceptionally powerful, but with Kagome's formidable reiki and her obvious frustration at her earlier inability to block his attack she was pissed.

Inuyasha had launched himself up, hoping to get a moment to throw another wind scar at her, but Kagome was quick with those damned balls of reiki. Changing tactics, he managed to dig his claws into his shoulder and use his blades of blood.

This put Kagome on the run for a moment while he managed to launch his backlash wave and the streak of his blade's power went rocketing across the room, straight at her before she managed to recover.

Inuyasha was less worried this time and while Sango and Miroku were ready to dash in and start first aid, he braced himself. Before the power cloud faded Inuyasha had to change direction mid-air to avoid the reiki blast the miko threw at him. Once the dust cleared he observed Kagome had fresh burns, but no lasting damage and she was clearly prepared to continue going.

Inuyasha landed silently. Both partners had yet to land a decisive blow, but saw this as the moment the match would be decided. On opposite sides of the pitch they tensed and prepared to sprint at each other. Inuyasha with his sword, Kagome with her reiki.

Just as they were about to sprint at each other the door opened.

All four turned at the intruder, "Hi. Uh, we've been waiting for the room for a couple minutes now…" the intruder, a rather oblivious cat youkai announced before he stopped, stunned at the sight of the battered hanyou and miko glaring at him from the deep groove that was once a combat ring.

In a huff, Kagome quit the ring, storming past the shocked silent group that was to follow them, with Inuyasha trailing behind, equally put out. That had been one hell of a match until those idiots had ruined it! He couldn't wait for her to join them at the manor for his Pops' visit. He would love to not only finish their match, but see how she made out with his father, or even Sesshomaru.

Miroku and Sango made apologies for them and followed them out, both agog at the match itself and what it meant. If Inuyasha regularly trained with Sesshomaru and had withstood his beatings on a regular basis and Kagome had done the same to Inuyasha it meant she too might be able to stand against Sesshomaru's power.

If only they had finished the match, they mused as Inuyasha and Kagome stormed off to their respective changing rooms. Hopefully when they visited the manor next weekend they could go again.


	13. Girls Night!

All bloody week, the very sight of Inuyasha irked her. She'd HAD him. That jerk cat who couldn't have waited another few minutes had spoiled her streak and denied her a victory unlike she had been able to claim in a long time, one that allowed her to make use of her kami-given powers and really show that loudmouth what she was made of.

If she were honest with herself though, if it had been her in the other guys' shoes she would have intruded far sooner, as they had run over their time in the arena and time slots for it were hard to come by.

Plus, it looked like sparring at the Taisho family dojo was on the menu for this weekend and she was MORE than excited to go again. But it still bugged her that she hadn't been able to finish the fight.

Her one consolation was that Inuyasha was also upset and was equally bound and determined to face off that weekend. He even promised he get InuPapa to watch and give them pointers and Sesshomaru would most definitely be in attendance as well.

Something in Kagome was especially eager for Sesshomaru to watch her. On top of the fact he was her boss, she wanted him to like her and see her accomplishments when her powers and combat skills teamed up, something she never got to demonstrate in the office. She trained hard and was proud of her body but didn't think Sesshomaru knew this about her yet. They would be working together for a long time, so if he could appreciate her in other ways, particularly one in which he was also well practiced, that was good, right? As an added bonus it might mean he would like her more.

When Kagome and Sango met up for lunch on Wednesday, Sango had noticed she was tense and suggested a girl's night out, to which Kagome had instantly agreed. They would have to go Thursday night and they couldn't be out too late, but she was eager for a little dancing and drinking, and most of all a change of scenery.

That Thursday Sango and Kagome agreed to meet up at nine for a girl's night, provided Sesshomaru let her out by then. The gods were smiling on Kagome when Sesshomaru once again let her out early at seven.

It was the oddest thing. He wouldn't be finished with work, but he would send her home all the same with a vague dismissal. She hoped it meant things were going well, but deep down she suspected something was horribly wrong.

 _All the more reason to get out tonight_ , she thought to herself as she rode the metro to her stop.

Lucky for her, Kagome managed to get home, pack for her weekend and throw something nice together for the activities that night before Sango showed up.

Sango walked in already looking fantastic but announced that she was sadly on call that night so she would have to play it sober, but that didn't mean Kagome couldn't drink on her behalf. After putting the finishing touches on their outfits and convincing Kagome to pregame a little, they were headed out.

Taking the subway south, they headed for club 'Yo Ray', a cheesy-sounding club located in the quietest part of town, far away from the main action, meaning there were few if any humans trying to get in. The outside looked like a quiet street near the docks, the yellowy streetlamps casting an eerie glow on the streets and the buildings below. Once this had been a bustling warehouse sector, but the land had been extended out into Tokyo Bay, it was now a disused warehouse sector, home to hobos and junkies aplenty, but nothing else besides.

Fortunately there was no line when they got there. There was only one person on the serene, if a bit eerie, street, and the bouncer who was pretending to smoke pretending to smoke as he surreptitiously checked their driver licenses and their pact licenses before granting them admittance to what appeared to be a dingy run-down warehouse.

Inside they went through a series of barriers that prevented noise, aura and scent from alerting sensitive humans from discovering the activities of the club. Once they passed through the visual and audio barriers, they could see the party was in full swing.

The blackened dance floor that came into view beneath them was full of reiki users and demons in all manner of club outfits. As one of a very few establishments that catered to pact partners, 'Yo Ray' was a popular place and included a wide variety of rooms that catered to different tastes. One floor was for house music, another for pop and hip hop, another was an English style pub, another was a Japanese izakaya and the top floor was a rooftop patio, cleverly concealed from the public to appear as the top floor of a warehouse, but in fact sported picnic benches and a kidney-shaped pool.

On top of the great achievement the club represented of the kitsune abilities to cleverly camouflage, it also stood as a testament to what the pact had accomplished. Kagome and Sango currently stood over the dance floor on the top of the staircase that looked over the hip hop dance floor. Below them reiki and youki undulated in a sea of peaceful spiritual power. The clubs had their problems, mostly when family feud boiled over in the club or stole someone else's girlfriend, usually within their own spiritual powers. Only once in a very rare while intense battles erupted between reiki and youki. Majority of these battles involved couples who were reiki-youki being harassed or hanyou being drunkenly attacked by ignorant pact people. Although whenever a larger fight broke out along spiritual lines the whole community would be on tender hooks, awaiting another ReiYou war, nothing ever really manifested. This was mostly due to the Pact Organization's special on call squad, formed especially to deal with larger disputes and Kagome's personal belief that at their core, demons and spirituals could get along.

Conferring with Sango over the loud music coming from the floor below them, they decided to spend their evening on the pop and hip-hop floor, where the music was something they could sing and dance to and headed down the stairs.

This was easily one of the most crowded floors on a daily basis, but there was fortunately enough room to breathe tonight. First they headed to the bar to get a drink for Kagome and some water for Sango, before heading out to the dance floor.

After a few songs, intermittent yelling with Sango over the music, bumping into a few demon and reiki friends from the dojo, or work, or training and a few dance partners who took her explanation that she was there for a girls night good naturedly and returned to the throng, Kagome reflected.

She really was grateful for the world they lived in and for all the pact had done for her. She had a career, she was able to live next to former enemies and feel safe and she had one hell of a prestigious pact partner. The only way their world could be improved were if cross-spirit matches and children were more readily accepted. Kagome and Miroku suspected it was the demons who were the most hesitant to let this last tradition go, as their numbers had been most catastrophically affected by the Reiyou wars, but Kagome refused to believe that they couldn't be convinced. After all, while Inuyasha had been contested seriously when he had gone public roughly 100 years after the pact had been signed, demons had eventually accepted him and his significant powers as 'acceptable' and been content to leave him alone with only the occasional impolite slur.

But things needed to improve. She was grateful the wars were over, but there was still more to do. Perhaps she would see about petitioning Sesshomaru, as the western lord, for a fairness commission to investigate attacks on hanyou and inter-spiritual couples.

Just as she was moving with the crowd, contentedly dancing with Sango and contemplating this latest initiative, someone bumped into her from behind, hard. Sent sprawling towards Sango, she grasped her friend's arms to balance herself and whirled around to face the idiot who had bumped into her.

The lighting didn't give her much of a chance to make him out, intermittent as the disco ball currently on rotation was, but what she could see was that he was easily twice her size, but strong and sinewy and most decidedly angry.

His green eyes flashed, "Watch where you're going you fucking miko," he yelled, clearly audible above the music. In that moment the group around them stilled, and what was once a soothing wave of reiki and youki was immediate alert and on edge; all eyes turned to watch the altercation. Kagome, still astonished, muttered an apology, not wanting this to get out of hand when the demon brushed past her, bumping her again and forcing her to grab onto Sango for support.

Still a little shocked by the aggressive display she had in no way incited, she gestured for her and Sango to head to the ladies.

Sango readily followed and checked to see if Kagome was okay. Once Kagome had a minute to recover, she decided that he should not spoil their night and they resolutely headed back out, this time heading for the izakaya floor where a group of demons she had bumped into from the dojo earlier had promised to be.

Fortunately on this floor the music was quieter and the setting more relaxed. They were seated at a low table set on a traditional tatami floor and while Sango was still nursing her water and Kagome was judicious about how much liquor she imbibed, they were having an amazing night.

"So the next time these brats from the baseball team came back to deface the shrine I made all their hair grow back, right to their ass! You should have seen it. Some of them cried, others ran away and a few looked like they found themselves that day."

The group had been laughing nonstop for the past hour mostly because of the efforts of the fox youkai among their number who kept the humor going. This kid was easily the most outgoing of the group as the kitsune clown, and a riot to hang out with they would have liked to hang out longer, but roughly twenty past midnight, Sango's phone buzzed, informing her that she was needed for an on call squad as they were a person down owing to a 'maternity situation' and they needed her as soon as possible.

"See you guys later," Sango called as she got up to pay her bill. Before she made it to the end of the table Kagome called for her to wait before explaining to their friends that she still had a long day the next day and Sesshomaru would notice if she was the least bit sluggish so she needed to turn in. To a chorus of boos and promises that they would see her in the gym, Kagome followed Sango out.

When they made it to the street, the bouncer was either on break or had given up door duty as the night had waned and they got little traffic in after midnight. Sango's ride was on the way, so she put in a call to a small demon-run cab company requesting a ride. There were a few smokers out on the street a little ways down, trying to look inconspicuous so that passersby would not notice the traffic near the club entrance.

Within a few minutes, Sango's on call squad pick up ride arrived and she bid Kagome a safe ride home.


	14. The Street Goes Quiet

Kagome reflected on her night to the sounds of quiet chatter from the smokers a way down in the pool of light shed by one of the few remaining streetlamps. After hanging out with their rather young, but very liberal and chill demon friends for an hour, Kagome's faith in the pact was entirely reinforced and even a little amplified. They were the next generation of demons and not only cared as much as she did about the peace, but were also more than content to associate and even be in relationships with humans. Sadly, while they were the 'next' generation, their time would not come for a several hundred years. Due to her human lifespan, unless something changed soon she wouldn't see the future she so hoped for.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Kagome opened up a note typing application and began writing out notes regarding her fairness commission idea. It would be a balanced commission involving only those leaders they knew to be forward thinking. They would meet either whenever an incident happened or on a monthly basis and their main concern would be the protection of the legacy of the pact through facilitation of inter-spiritual mixing. They would have judicial powers akin to magistrates and could send offenders to court if needs be.

In this way Kagome whiled away a full ten minutes before she glanced up from her phone to gaze at the end of the street. The cab she had ordered sure was taking it's time. She checked the time and looked up when she had placed the call to the cab company, trying to piece together just when she should have expected the cab to round the corner in the dim light of the yellowy street lamps when she noticed that the street was entirely still. While she had been typing the smokers had evidently gone in.

Because of the location of the bar, Kagome was always slightly wary of the criminal and other underworld elements which usually congregated in these unused spaces. Junkies were usually harmless and the homeless were as well, but the gangs that roved Tokyo often came to places like this for less than savoury activities. The trouble with humans was that while she was athletic and quite strong, her reiki would do nothing against them and if taken by surprise or by multiples, there would little she could do.

Kagome then directed her attention to her phone slightly more nervously. She could always go back into the club and call another cab from inside, where there were youki and reiki users aplenty, better lighting and Shippo and the gang.

Shaking her head at her foolishness she thought better of it. _Don't be stupid, Kagome… the cab is on its way. Besides if you get in trouble you could simply flare your aura and the club would empty out to find out why…_

That was until she remembered the aura suppressing charm on the club. _Dammit._

Club Yo Ray had to make sure that the human world did not sense them, particularly the spirit-sensitive ones. Like all Tokyo clubs this one was sound proof, unlike others it was spirit proof and it was located in an old dried up sector of the docklands. If she strained her ears she could hear the distant jangling of bells at the dock and the quiet shush of the waves. It was eerily quiet; man she missed the noisy smokers.

Whatever, her cab would be here in a few.

Redirecting her attention nonchalantly to her phone, she heard the door open and close again. Thankful for what she assumed was another band of smokers.

Determined to waste time on her phone until her ride came, she didn't hear him approach until it was too late. Suddenly grabbed around the middle in a crushing hold about her ribs from behind, Kagome gasped for breath. Although the being that grabbed her had no discernable aura, the pressure on her ribs was enough to convince her this person had demon strength, testing that quick conclusion, she flared her reiki. Hearing him grunt in surprise she hooked her leg behind her attackers left leg, leveraged her weight against his and threw all her might and reiki into prying his right hand away from her. Pulling frantically at the exposed thumb, she poured her reiki into her hand and pulled his thumb back at such an angry angle with such force that not only did she hear a sizzle, but heard a satisfying snap. The demon howled and released his hold. To defend her new advantage Kagome was quick to send an elbow at his side and the same one to his nose, disorienting the drunken demon long enough for her to create some more distance.

Stumbling her first steps away, she managed to right herself in time to barrel towards the door to the club and would have made it safely inside if, when she pulled on the handle she hadn't heard that freedom denying _thunk_ of the latch hitting the strike. That jerk not only attacked her, but he locked the door, too!

Turning, she saw him headed for her and threw up a barrier just before he made it within two strides.

Within the security of her light pink barrier she observed the wincing but angry demon pacing along the perimeter of her protective shell. He was the same one who had assaulted her earlier in the club.

"Fucking miko," He growled while cradling his hand and nursing his broken nose. "You will pay for this."

"What is your problem?!" She yelled, after at long last being able to catch her breath and quiet the trembling of her limbs. Her reiki was already doing its work in calming her and healing the panic of her nervous system.

It would not do to go into shock.

"My problem is your kind! You fucking murder the mastery of the demon race and make us fucking lapdogs and pets to the reiki users. My brothers and sisters did not die for that kind of a world, and they sure as shit did not die so they could be subject to the whims of a lowly human with a few shitty abilities."

"Who are you?" She asked, curiously calm and feeling rather bad for the demon, temporarily overlooking the assault.

"Someone who lost everything because of your weak fucking race."

"Pfft. I'm not the one nursing two breaks right now." She said in a moment of stupid bravado. Realizing her mistake too late, she flinched as he swiped at her barrier with talon like fingernails. He wouldn't be able to break through, but if he persisted in trying to tear down her barrier he may very well burn an arm off. That was the last thing the peace needed.

Curling in on herself and willing all of her power into her barrier she waited for the demon to give up and flee. That was clearly not in his plans as he persisted in attacking her barrier.

Fortunately for Kagome, just as she was contemplating letting down the barrier to show him how big of a mistake he had made in targeting her, the bouncer decided to come out for a smoke.

The bear youkai took one look at Kagome in her barrier and the demon now trying to run away that he sprinted after him and tackled him to the ground with a deafening crunch. It sounded like the takedown had cost her attacker a broken rib or two. Once the bouncer had him in a lock, he reached for his radio and called on another bouncer to come out and assist him. While waiting for his relief he dialled to emergency number for the Pact organization on call squad to process another errant youkai.

While her attacker was still pinned and the bear youkai was still on the phone, the door banged open and out came his backup. The hulking falcon youkai was no joke. She had seen him in action one night when a demon brawl had broken out on the dance floor. This particular youkai had swooped into the midst of the battle, picked out the offender and flew him up to his overlook platform where another bouncer was already waiting for him.

This hawk youkai now ran for his partner to help him get a better grip on the offender as the stronger of the two. They hauled him up and put their own human cuffs on him. As they walked back to her she heard the bear youkai apologizing.

"-break. I didn't think I'd find this one up here behind a barrier and this idiot" he emphasized by jerking the cuffed youkai's arm he was holding onto, "trying to break through."

"That's no problem, Kumoimaru. Make sure next time you keep the human cuffs on yourself at all times. When you are out on the street, hide them somewhere so passing humans can't see." Kumoimaru nodded his agreement as he plodded along the bloody and disoriented captive.

"What about her?" Kumoimaru asked, gesturing with his head to Kagome, having since dissipated her barrier, standing on the road, looking uncertain.

"Let me take care of it. Give me your water," To which Kumoimaru fished it out of his oversized cargo pants pockets his co-worker always knew he had on hand and handed it over to him. "Now, take him over to the spot and wait for the on call squad. We need them to do a sweep in case a human saw something."

"Hai," Kumoimaru agreed, turning with the now groggy captive towards the top of the drive to await further reinforcements.

Kagome, upon seeing backup had slowly allowed her barrier to dispel. The hawk youkai sidled up next to her and sat across from her on the edge of the curb, arranging his wings gently in a cross behind his back so he didn't have to sit on his wings, he placating asked, "Miss, are you alright?"

Kagome accepted the offered water and took a swig, beginning to feel better already as she moved to sit next to him on the curb. "Yes, I'll be fine." She admitted. Really, the demon had just taken her by surprise and the mix of alcohol, fear and adrenaline had all worked against her. While she had been safe, she knew deep down she could have taken the punk if her faculties had been intact, she were better focussed and she hadn't been working on a project to improve pact relations immediately before he grabbed her. More than anything she was disappointed in herself.

One thing that bothered her was the fact she hadn't felt him approach. Ordinarily her reiki alerted her to threats well before they became a problem, but while she had heard him, she hadn't sensed his aura, or his malevolent intent approaching.

"Take another sip," her companion ordered.

She complied and apologized. "Sorry, I was spacing out. It was so weird, I didn't hear him until he was already attacking me. Usually I can sense these problems before they happen."

The hawk youkai continued to surveil the street and kept flashing his eyes to the corner the on call squad would turn once they got here.

"Certain miko and monk don't have very strong powers, perhaps you need to train your reiki more," he suggested.

Chuckling, Kagome responded, "No, that's not my problem. I'm actually quite powerful. It's just, I couldn't sense him at all. It was weird…"

"Well, if I were you, I would head back to the shrine for more training before tangling with to demons of the city. We aren't your average kitsune around here." Kitsune were the demons who protected shrines in both statue and living form. They had the strongest link with reiki users and because of their responsibilities they were often looked down upon by demon society although they were some of the most dexterous and tricky demons around, not to mention they were the ones responsible for the club's disguise.

"No, really, I am more than ready for the Tokyo youkai scene, but this guy completely hid his aura or something."

To this the hawk laughed. "Hid his aura? You know perfectly well that extinguishing aura is illegal, besides when my partner took him down he said nothing about the demon supressing anything."

"I know it's illegal," she said, frustrated he didn't seem to believe her, "but he definitely supressed something, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to touch me, honestly, I'm quite powerful." She asserted.

"How powerful could you be if you let that powder puff frighten you enough to retreat behind a barrier? Geeze Kumoimaru managed to tackle him and he's so new he's still using crayons to fill in his timesheet." Kagome did not like the direction of his thought process, but he was on too much of a role to stop. "If you are on the more powerful range of the spectrum, the spectrum needs a revamping, and you need to find a new profession."

That did it. Kagome was not having any of this Kagome bashing right now. "I'll have you know I am Sesshomaru-sama's pact partner and I'm one of the best at my job!" She asserted. She really didn't know why she was telling him this, but his lack of belief in both what she said about the youkai that attacked her and her own abilities riled her and it was out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Oh," He seemed genuinely interested. She should have known it would not go in a good direction. "I always wondered what kind of miko and monks would get those jobs. I'm surprised Sesshomaru keeps such a weak miko by him. To subdue him when his demon takes over he would be better off with a team of bouncers than a little miko who can't even sense that idiot."

Kagome was stunned. She was naturally competitive and proud of her accomplishments and couldn't believe what this demon was saying. She had just settled on a comeback when he abruptly stood, as the on call squad was about to arrive.

"You stay here miss, a miko will be over soon to check on you." The hawk youkai said as he headed for the vehicle that had just pulled up and emitted six agents.


	15. On Call Procedure

The agents, all dressed in black went to work quickly. The team was made up of three reiki and three youki users and one slayer there to keep the peace. First they apprehended the subject, did a speedy sweep for weapons or charms and threw him into the van, then the head monk and his assistants strode over and gave Kagome a quick checkup, questioning Kagome and Kumoimaru as they went to ascertain what had happened.

Once they had pieced together the rough story and decided Kagome was not in need of emergency care the head monk had stood in the spot at the centre of the action and closed his eyes, his hands in a meditative gesture near his heart. Kagome could tell he was focussing on the humans in the area to figure out which had the most distress to discover any who had witnessed the scene.

Apparently someone had, as the monk and his male and female reiki assistants went peeling off in the direction of the harbour. The remaining three youkai approached her and asked her if she needed a safe place to stay or if she had contacted her partner.

 _Ahh… the million yen question._

In her defense, Kagome did her level best to dance her way out of the question. Yes, she had called him that day (on the intercom), yes she had let him know of the (business) incident that occurred (in their Okinawa branch), but the deer demon on the squad, a slender female with super-sonic hearing was one step ahead of her and managed to discover that she hadn't contacted Sesshomaru regarding the attack.

Acting on instinct, the lead youkai, a snake by the name of Captain Kohebi, pulled out his cell phone and began to dial.

Kagome shot out her hand, grabbing the phone before he could push the dial button. "Please, sir. Sesshomaru-sama will kill me if he is awoken by this," all because of her stupidity, she mourned.

Captain Kohebi informed her that this did not matter. "Procedure dictates that the youkai partner needs to be informed whenever an incident occurs involving their pact partner."

Sango had explained this reasoning once to her. Many youkai laid family claim to their partners and needed to be informed whenever those within their charge were attacked. As many youkai were pack-type, they had the right to press charges and even testify in serious cases.

 _Of course Sesshomaru had to be pack-type._

Seeing the resolve in the Captain's face she released the phone and allowed him to call.

Man she was in for it. Would he fire her? Would she be thrown out of her 'pack'? For the first time that night Kagome was on the verge of tears.

In despair, embarrassed all over again about the attack and her perceived 'weakness' as the hawk youkai had so kindly dubbed it, she was oddly aware of how they were labelling her the victim. Although she had been attacked, she didn't feel like a 'victim' until they treated her that way. No one including the bouncers and the on call squad seemed to notice she was physically fine while her attacker was nursing some breaks and burns from her defensive tactics. Instead she had been coddled and labelled the victim of an attack although she had held her own.

When the amphibious youkai on the squad had tried to put a blanket around her shoulders, she had adamantly refused even though she had been outside for a long time and she longed for the warmth of a blanket. She was worried that is she took the blanket, it would symbolically mean that she was admitting to their understanding of her as a victim.

It irked her that they were all trying to deny her achievement. She shivered as the captain placed the call.

Once the head office had patched the captain through to Sesshomaru's private emergency line (that Kagome had ever so helpfully updated just last week, damn her) she heard _him_ pick up.

"Who is this?" she heard over the line. Yup, it was him, and gauging what she could hear of Sesshomaru's tone, he was not in the best of moods.

The officer answered, "This is Captain Kohebi, I am calling to inform you your pact partner was attacked in an altercation tonight around 12:4-"

She heard him cut the captain off in a strange tone, "Is she alive?"

"Yes, sir, the miko is fine. She was assaulted by a youkai at the Yo Ray bar this evening, but managed to throw a barrier around herself before any damage was done. Our medical team has already looked her over and cleared her to go home."

Then, the words she had been dreading, "Put the miko in the phone" emitted sternly from the small phone in the captain's hand. Kami, he couldn't just have taken 'she's fine' as an answer, hung up the phone and gone back to bed, could he?

The captain passed the phone to her and Kagome immediately launched herself into a quiet apology so the gathered squad and curious club goers had been attracted by all the activity. She was again keenly feeling the 'victim label' as she said "I'm so sorry, they insisted on waking-"

"Are you alright?" he interjected in a very impolite un-Sesshomaru like way.

Kagome was puzzled at his interruption but reassured him. "I'm fine, he snuck up on me outside of the bar, but I fended him off, before one of the bouncers came out to _support_ me." At that point she heard the clatter of keys on the other end of the line.

"Put the captain back on the phone and stay there." He ordered.

Realizing Sesshomaru meant to come and get her from the fact she could hear a series of doors opening and closing and she heard the distinct sound of a car security system unlocking, she urged, "Please don't bother, the situation wasn't that bad. I'm fine to go home by myself. The team already offered to drive me."

"Miko, the captain. Now." He ordered as she heard the sounds of the car's engine starting. _God, he was so mad._ She was certain she would lose her job now.

The captain took back the phone and Kagome overheard Sesshomaru order a copy of the report and for the group to stay with Kagome at their location until he arrived to collect her. The captain was all businesslike and managed his expectations well and with assurances all would be done carefully and promptly before hanging up.

 _Oh kami._ Sesshomaru was on his way.

Within the next few minutes the reiki users came back, double checked the area and declared all resolved. It had apparently been a bunch of kids who heard there was a crazy club by the old docks. The reiki team grabbed their tablets and filed in the statistics of their memory wipes. They needed to keep track of humans who wandered into the area deliberately, to inform the club when it was time to find a new location.

Meanwhile Captain Kohebi pulled out his laptop and began typing the complete report, asking the bouncer, Kagome and her attacker, currently groggy in the back of the van.

Before ten minutes had passed, a silver sports car pulled up and squealed its brakes. He had clearly booked it to make it from the manor north of the city to the south side in such a short time.

He immediately got out of the car and made straight for her. Though she was standing she was dying to fall into the fetal position and just give up.

 _Sorry grandad. On top of losing my job because of a stupid accident, I'm about to be killed by your old pact partner. Mama, please forgive your daughter for going drinking. I was careful and drank in moderation like you said, but my partner killed me because of the fuss I caused. Goodbye Souta, keep playing soccer in the pact league. I'm sure your powers will show one day._

Sesshomaru came to a halt a foot before her and keenly looked her over. She could see his nostrils quivering, trying to take in her scent? She didn't know why he would bother, but assumed it was a matter of pack pride.

Sesshomaru was frantic. The moment he got the call he assumed the beast's vision had come to fruition. While he had never believed his beast to be a fortune teller, the vivid image of his miko lying dead, pleading with him with her eyes for help had so disturbed him the image stayed with him long after it had vanished.

The moment he got the call he believed her dead, his beast was panicking and would not calm until he heard her voice. Once he heard her voice the beast demanded to see and scent her, so he had gotten into his car and driven down to where she was waiting.

To be fair, he probably would have done the same for Hideo, but hearing over the phone that his partner was alright he probably would not have pushed his car to 200 kilometres per hour along Tokyo's many small, crowded and windy roads had it not been Kagome.

All the way he had been plagued by his beast.

 _This would not have happened if you had claimed her_ , the beast declared. _She would have been safe at your side if you had listened to me._ _Instead she was out being attacked by rogue youkai. She might have been killed this night._ It whispered as he quite literally pushed the engine to its limits to see her sooner and calm down his pounding blood.

Alighting from his vehicle he spotted her. She was standing and there didn't appear to be a spot of blood on her. She was not lying on a floor. She appeared to be breathing.

That did not mean all was well. He headed for her and stopped within scent range. His beast urged him to embrace her and get a proper smell, but Sesshomaru, ever in charge (by a thread these days) kept as much distance as possible.

He scented her. She was without injury. The microscopic blood speck on her was clearly from the imbecile in the back of the van. His nose told him that even internally she was unharmed.

Clearly she had gotten the better of her attacker and for that he was proud. As he assessed her the captain of the squad approached and filled him in on what had transpired. While he was surprised she had been ambushed, he was gratified to hear she had been alert enough to break her attacker's thumb and nose before burning him with her barrier.

Even when ambushed such presence of thought were perfect qualities for the Lady of the West.

Disregarding his beast's commentary he scented and felt with his aura. She was upset, angry, tired and cold.

Kagome sensed him prodding her and felt the need to apologize again, "I'm so sorry Sesshomaru-sama, they wouldn't accept that I was fine and insisted on calling you."

"Captain," he interrupted talking over her, "The House of the Moon wishes to press charges if the miko will not."

"What? That's not right!" she yelled, "I was the one attacked and I get to decide. I decide that he has learned his lesson and I will not be pressing charges." She asserted, talking directly to the captain.

Why were they talking over her? Even though he was her pact partner and maybe felt offended that one of his employees had been attacked, he knew nothing, really about what happened or what caused the incident. She felt bad for the youkai who had lost his family in the wars, had managed to fend him off and came out of the attack just fine.

But the captain noticed none of this and spoke to Sesshomaru again "Certainly sir. I will forward the paperwork to your office address."

"Better send it to my personal address. I wouldn't want someone to tamper with it." Sesshomaru replied as he keyed his personal e-mail into the tablet handed to him.

"Wait a minute here! I don't want charges pressed!"

"That doesn't matter." Sesshomaru informed her in cold tones, "I am your alpha and I say charges will be pressed. Will that be all captain?"

"Yes sir. Thank you for your time sir." The captain genuflected as the squad piled into the waiting van.

Sesshomaru went behind the irate Kagome and steered her towards the passenger side of the car. Opening the door he gently pushed her into the seat before closing it.

"Well then, goodnight officers. I want that paperwork within the hour." He restated before getting into the driver's seat, closing the door, starting the car and driving off. The last thing she saw was the disapproving look of the hawk bouncer in the street and the throng who had since gathered to watch.

Kagome was furious and still somewhat confused. Her attack could be seen as an affront to his great and powerful House of the Moon, but why did he need to come out in person, talk over her and drive her home? Her puzzle wasn't making any sense and worse than that, he was treating her like a victim, no, less than a victim, a child!

At the same time though, she was grateful he had come out to help her. Her stubborn resolve to not be labelled a victim warred with her need to express her gratitude as he also grappled with considerable internal struggles so they enjoyed a quiet ride until Kagome noticed they were headed in the wrong direction.

"Ano, Sesshomaru-sama, I live in Meguro, you just passed the turn."

"You will be staying at the manor tonight." He replied, watching the road.

Kagome was instantly against the idea. She had already interrupted his sleep, worried him enough for him to travel to the opposite end of the city at one in the morning and generated extra paperwork for him to do during what would surely be business hours, all for an attack she had successfully neutralized. She didn't want to feel indebted for more than she already was.

Little did she know that the beast couldn't handle distance from her right then. For the life of him he was battling down the instinct to stop the car, fly the both of them to a secluded cave, transform into his real form and curl himself protectively around her. Driving to the manor in this slow vehicle in this slow city, to a charm-protected mansion would have to do.

The beast was slowly being lulled by his decision and their distance from her danger and he began to regain his control.

"Sesshomaru-sama, that really isn't necessary. Besides, I don't have a change of clothes for work tomorrow."

"This is not up for discussion. You will stay in the manor tonight. Clothes will be purchased for you in the morning and you will come into work with me tomorrow."

"But I need to collect my things for the weekend. I packed my bags before we went out."

"We will go by your house before heading back out to the manor tomorrow."

"But, I live close by here, we could stop in now and I could grab-"

"Not up for discussion, miko. We are going straight to the manor." She didn't realize how much a side stop would bother his beast and rattle his control of the situation. Instead all she saw was that he was bothered by the situation and needed to go home and get back to sleep. Feeling apologetic, she gave in.

"Very well," she agreed with a sigh. "Thank you Sesshomaru-sama."

Although he was incredibly stubborn, demanding, and so abrupt, he was being rather nice when she took a minute and thought about it. He had come to get her, been concerned for her safety and invested in the situation which most assuredly ruined a good night sleep after a long day at work.

Most of his reasons for coming out were related to the honour of the House of the Moon, but some of it, surely was an indication of his fondness for her. Perhaps he didn't hate her as much as she supposed.

They rode the rest of the way in silence with the exception of the call she received from Sango. It seemed her squad had heard about the call after her last one finished. As soon as she had seen Kagome's name on the screen she had called her to find out if she was OK. Kagome told her friend what happened and told her of her impromptu sleepover, being sure to mention that she was in the car at that moment. Thankfully Sango had the presence of mind not to joke over the phone where Sesshomaru could hear everything. She had insisted that she would drop by the next day for an in-office lunch and had bid her a safe and good night. Silence resumed in the small car speeding along the highway.

Once they pulled off the main roads, he accelerated, eager to be home and have his miko in a safe spot. Kagome could barely hold onto the door to feel something was secure. He was in truth a very good driver, but going so fast was still freaking her out. Demon skills really were something if he managed to keep such firm control of so fast and powerful an automobile.

He pulled onto his driveway and Kagome gasped. She had never been to the manor before, but she had heard about it from her grandfather. It was illuminated by the lights of the main house, which she supposed had been turned on by Sesshomaru as he left the mansion. It was a traditional Japanese style mansion with multiple fine wooden buildings around the complex. She couldn't see much in the darkness, but assumed that the rest of the grounds were equally grand.

Just as he threw the car into park, the doors opened and from out of the gargantuan house came a decidedly small figure bathed in light. As he came closer she recognized this as Jaken and awaited the barrage of praise Sesshomaru was about to receive.

"My Lord Sesshomaru! I am glad to see you have returned! We were all terribly worried when you left all of a sudden. Is all well sir?"

Sesshomaru had meanwhile exited the car and come around to her side, and help her out of the car. Ignoring his retainer's fawning, he instructed, "Jaken, see to it the female guest chamber is prepared at once, and send some food up to the room."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama, sir."

Pulling Kagome towards the house, she observed the little Kappa go running upstairs, hunting out a maid to get the room assembled. Walking into the foyer, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but once they did she thoroughly appreciated the sight. The manor had mahogany flooring and white walls with mahogany beams. It was simplistic, but beautiful and quite grand when one took in the size of the place. The foyer was huge with a giant staircase split along to two walls. Hanging above their heads was a massive chandelier made of many individual fine paper lanterns covering each lightbulb. It was clearly a skillful mix of Eastern and Western with all the warmth and calm of Japanese tradition but all the openness and grandeur of the west.

Whoever designed this house had clearly been well travelled.

Sesshomaru allowed her to pause in the foyer for a minute to take in his first architectural achievement, before pressing on and calling her along to the study.

Following along, she proceeded along the hallway to the left of the stairs, passing along a corridor that was gloriously Japanese before opening up into his study. It was a well-appointed room, free of too much décor or distraction, but with just enough appropriately sedate scrolls along one wall that indicated this was where he conducted business for the Demon court and the western lands.

Approaching his laptop, Sesshomaru flipped it open, sat himself down and gestured for her to take the seat across from him.

She obliged and looked around the room as he perused something on his laptop. The window looking out showed her nothing but an inky black night, so she turned to face the scrolls, stacked in themed diamond-shaped shelves with labels like "land claims" and "human relations".

Sesshomaru finished perusing the file on her attack and drew her attention back to him with a curt "Miko."

"What," he proceeded, "prevented you from noticing this blundering youkai in time to prevent his attack completely?" he knew her skills well and was having a hard time believing she had been ambushed, even if she had been drinking.

Kagome didn't know if she should tell him, but knowing he had the ability to detect a lie, she opted for the truth. "I don't know. I saw him there, but assumed he was having a smoke. Then when I was watching my phone he all of a sudden grabbed me around my waist. It was weird… I didn't sense him getting closer or his malevolent intent. All I knew was he was there and then he was on me…" she trailed off.

Sesshomaru's beast was angry. _How dare he._ Sesshomaru though was perplexed. She was telling the truth and he knew first hand she was talented at sensing these things. On a few occasions she had been so attuned to his aura she had been able to diffuse a situation before it turned into a situation, intruding on a business meeting before he had lost his cool (which in some cases made him lose his control anyways because her solutions was always to escort them to the kitchenette to grab something to drink).

"The officers said they sensed no aura suppression and they found nothing on him to suggest he had anything charmed to do anything of the sort."

"I know, but you must believe me. His aura was completely nowhere until he grabbed me."

"Hnn… I believe you miko. I will look into this." He typed a quick e-mail to himself to remind him and sent it off. "Otherwise are you alright?"

Glad to hear a note of sincerity in his voice, she sighed. "I'm fine, just a little shaken, and tired."

"Very well," he said, standing, "Your room should be ready by now." She followed Sesshomaru back into the hall and proceeded this time up the grand staircase to the left of the stairs.

This hallway was also grand, and also had mahogany floorboards, but this one was more clearly the family wing with depictions of dogs throughout on tapestries and other mediums of art. In one depiction on a carving, an inu was doing something decidedly naughty with another inu, making her blush. He stopped by the door closest to this depiction. "This is my room. You will be staying across the hall in the guest room. It was already prepared for your coming tomorrow, he explained as he threw open the door to her room."

The lamps had already been turned on by the maid who had dashed upstairs to ensure all was looking its best. Kagome was grateful, for she was able to observe the full mastery of the suite.

As she ogled the simple and warm décor, Sesshomaru explained, "The washroom is through that door and includes a full bath." He gestured to the door on the far side of the room. "The food has been laid on the bed stand. Eat all of it before going to bed. Be sure to drink all the water as well."

The bed was a four-post dark wood with soft pink and white striped sheets on it. The other furnishings were also a dark wood, with ornate carvings that all seemed to match the general tenor of the room.

Sesshomaru continued from the door way. "Some clothes you may sleep in are in the armoire. I will see to it that the maid goes first thing to purchase you a new suit for work. Consequently we will be in later tomorrow. You will be provided with a laptop first thing to change my appointments."

"If you have need of anything else before dawn. I will be across the hall. Then, if there is nothing else…"

She turned back to him from her perusal of the beautiful pieces and gave him a polite bow, "Thank you Sesshomaru-sama, I am very grateful."

"Very well. Good night Miko." He gently closed the door. He then strode to his door, but thought better of it.

To console his less rational half and only somewhat concede to his desires, he opened and closed his bedroom door, to give the illusion that he had retired for the night, then silently made his way back to her bedroom door, to wait out the night. If he could not curl himself around her in a cave, he would stand guard outside her door in his home.

Without intending to, he overheard the clattering of dishes for a few minutes before hearing her turn on the shower (secretly pleased with her decision to wash off the stench left by that boorish youkai) after a few minutes he heard her turn off the water, and clamber into the bed.

It wasn't long before he heard her soft breathing go rhythmic. Though he resolved to get little sleep that night, he found himself sitting against the wall in a more comfortable position, slowly allowing himself to doze. His miko was safe in his home, the manor was well guarded and she would be fine. With those contented thoughts he drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning at about five, Ms. Zeka posted bail for the demon who had attacked the miko.

After paying his exorbitant bail, collecting him and his scant possessions, she directed him to climb into her car and drove him to the largest penthouse in the city.

Upon making it to the top floor with the miscreant, she collected her reimbursement, her mileage, her overtime, her hush money and a sizeable tip, before leaving him in the room with the massive fireplace, shoving him to a spot right before the figure seated on a plush dark purple sofa.

Once the door clacked shut and he heard her board the elevator, the figure on the sofa asked the question that had been bothering him all night.

"So, it worked?"

"Like a charm Nara-sama. She didn't even realize I was there or what I was planning to do. And when the police did a thorough search they found nothing. That charm you put on that thread in my shirt was perfect. The on call squad looked right at it and didn't even see it was enchanted."

"Perfect. Your payment is on the table. So long as you show you can keep your mouth shut I may have another errand for you before long."

Ogling the massive pile of yen on the table, the youkai readily agreed and volunteered for any further projects he had need of a strongman. "This one was fun! That little miko would have been a tasty morsel if not for the barrier," at his employer's long look, he added, "A-and of course your orders not to touch her. Of course," he chuckled.

"Very well," the sardonic hanyou on the couch responded, "if that will be all…" Picking up on the social cue, the demon executed a sloppy bow and hastily turned and exited the room, eager to spend his new money on whores and drinks and maybe a new entertainment system. The options were limitless!

As he departed the now-alone hanyou rejoiced as he picked up his glass of wine. This was the best news he had heard all day. Slowly but surely his plan was falling into place.


	16. Last Minute Office Business

That Friday evening, Kagome was waiting patiently at her desk, eager for the last delivery to come in from Kumo Corp. as Sesshomaru continued to plod through his mountain of paperwork. Most of it could wait until the following Thursday and he had probably already gone through the most important stuff hours ago. Really, it was that last piece of paperwork for the Kumo contract that was holding them up more than anything.

Once that last piece of paperwork came in they would be able to go, and Kagome was eager to hit the road. Once work was done it would be the beginning of Silver Week, the five day long vacation that the entire country celebrated by taking it easy, enjoying the late summer warmth and spending time with friends and family; in her case both! She would see Inupapa and Gramps and Inuyasha and Miroku and Izayoi and Little Rin and she would be staying in that gorgeous bedroom again.

Just thinking about the bedroom had her thinking about why she stayed there the night before which instantly depressed her mood. She did not want to think about it for fear it would ruin her weekend so she managed to sit back for a moment in her chair, meditate it away and keep on enjoying the positively maddening wait for this series of pieces of papers to arrive.

Inuyasha and Miroku arrived after six, eager to get to the house. Both of them had been exceedingly nice that day, but Inuyasha had _gotten it_. The story of her attack the previous night had spread to Inuyasha as a member of the House of the Moon and he and Miroku had immediately come upstairs to check on her when they got into the office.

Miroku was concerned, checked her over for injuries and briefly admonished her for being careless, but Inuyasha had walked up to her desk and sniffed. Sensing nothing wrong with her he said, "I heard you broke a few bones."

"Yeah…" unsure of where this was going.

"Good." He uttered, then walked away.

Inuyasha was no stranger to adversity nor being jumped and knew all too well the sensation of being treated like a weakling. Kagome had held her own and probably would have been able to take him herself if she set her mind to it. She didn't need anyone to treat her as lesser than she was.

Kagome had smiled her first genuine smile since the attack, thankful for his understanding.

Sesshomaru on the other hand had been equally as cold as he had been the night before. She had only seen him on the ride into work as she had just woken up when the maid returned from the Ginza shopping district where she had picked out this lavish dress suit.

The label was of a well-known Tokyo designer and was made of some very fine materials, she understood from rumors the designer was a spider youkai who expertly made her fabrics by hand, hence the exorbitant price tag.

On the silent ride in Kagome had only interrupted the silence once to thank him for the outfit and promising to pay him back, to which he had firmly refused.

Sesshomaru was brooding. He still felt that on some level he had failed her. What if she had been hurt, or killed? He didn't want to think of it, but his more curious nature demanded he examine the results of such an outcome. On top of the shame that would befall the family and the blood feud that would be born between his clan and whatever family that idiot had been from, his beast assured him he would have been in a rage. Right now it was content to have her in his home, in his car, at work and coming home that night, not to mention fed by his food and clothed in what he could provide for her.

But she had not known anything of this internal struggle, all she knew was that his youki was agitated and that it had to do with her.

Kami, he was furious she was the cause of his loss of sleep and he hated her for it.

Simultaneously they both lamented that it would be a long weekend for entirely separate reasons.

But now that Kagome was doing busy work, antsy for that last correspondence to come through so they could all get on the road, she was only looking forward to seeing friends and family. She wanted to go! Sesshomaru had brought the roomy SUV and was going to drive himself, Kagome, Inuyasha and Miroku up to the manor that night. Her Pops had already been picked up by Jaken and they had kindly picked up her things from her apartment so that Sesshomaru wouldn't have to do it later. Another thing she was grateful for that would not hold them up. Everything but that damned contract was going smoothly!

Fortunately, although he was colder, Sesshomaru had been easier on her lately and it seemed that he had finally seen the light about Mr. Nara, that it wasn't her fault regarding Nara's pace. Though he hadn't said as much, whenever they were waiting on the hanyou he wasn't cross or mean to her as he was before. Lately though the only think that Nara had made them wait for were contracts. A few times, he had taken to coming early for his appointment, sometimes by half an hour just to talk with Kagome. They would kill time by talking about movies, music, even Kagome's goals and dreams. In those minutes Sesshomaru had learned more about his miko vicariously through the hanyou than he ever knew while he sat on the other side of the massive door, trying to focus on paperwork.

But it had helped him, he rationalized. By testing his control like this he grew stronger and by the time the hanyou's appointment came around, he no longer felt like throttling the little pest.

Kagome had noticed this coldness, In fact, lately he seemed to have been more distant. He no longer yelled at her or expressed the usual disapproval. For that she was grateful, however he also no longer raised to her bait and they hadn't really said anything that wasn't strictly work related in a week.

She couldn't figure out his problem!

This morning he had flipped out at the nice Toudai student who wanted nothing but Sesshomaru's approval. As she had approached, Sesshomaru's growl had subsided into a low rumble and when she was within arm's reach he had pulled her in and nuzzled her.

That was…new.

After a few minutes under the chin of the scariest Taiyoukai in Japan, he had reluctantly let her go to console the young boy across from him. The rest went off without a hitch, but in traditional Sesshomaru style he hadn't bothered to explain what had happened.

Just as she was contemplating this latest development, Inuyasha and Miroku strode in, right on time. It seemed the usually tardy pact partners were also ready and eager to go.

They had brought their weekend bags with them and their weapons. Miroku with his ancient jangly staff and Inuyasha with his Tessaiga, both wrapped up in unassuming sheets that might have been passed off as yumi bows to the unwary ningen.

"So, what are we waiting for, lets head out to the house!" Inuyasha exclaimed, clearly excited to see his dad.

"Sorry guys," Kagome apologized. "Mr. Nara hasn't sent in the final contract and we need to get it before we go."

"Geeze," Inuyasha complained as he threw himself down on the reception sofa, "I can't believe Sessh does business with that guy. Doesn't he usually get rid of them when they've kept him waiting like this?"

"He usually does, but this time he decided not to, and that's up to him." She admonished, again, going to bat for her boss.

After about 30 minutes and no further word from Nara or his office, Kagome decide to give them a ring.

"Hi Miss Kagura, I was wondering if you had sent those contracts over yet?" Kagome asked in her best attempt at a patient tone given the circumstances.

"Oh, right, the contracts. You know, I think Mr. Nara wants to sleep on them one more night. He took them home hours ago."

 _Gods this woman._ If she had been in charge of Miss Kagura, Kagome was liable to fire her. It seemed at times she was even more irresponsible than her wayward boss.

"Do you know when he will be ready to submit?" She asked in barely controlled tones.

"He said he would bring it over tomorrow." The sardonic reply came.

"Uh… Tomorrow is a Saturday, Kagura-san."

"That's right, now I remember, he said he would bring it to Sesshomaru-sama's house personally."

"Kagura-san, would you mind if it put you on hold?" When Kagura agreed, Kagome pushed the hold button in and paused.

Sesshomaru would be furious if Nara came to his house, and tomorrow of all days, but the contract seemed important. Sensing that asking him was her only solution, she swallowed the lump in her throat, got the guys to shut up in their punching game on the couch and comm-ed Sesshomaru in his office.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I have a delivery request I need you to approve."

"Miko, deliveries go to you, not me."

"Yes I agree Sesshomaru- sama, but Mr. Nara has said he needs another night with the contract. He is planning to drop it off tomorrow… at your house." She let the words die and waited for his response.

Sesshomaru let go of the button and heaved a sigh. The last thing he wanted was that slimy hanyou in his house. Sadly, he considered his business dealings with the creature to be a part of his responsibilities as ruler of the west. A leader in control was a leader that did not suffer surprises, hence why he was wary of the hanyou Nara. From their first meeting he knew the man was not to be trusted, but could not yet discern his ultimate goal. To keep an eye on him, he had decided to proceed with the deal, despite the breach of his punctuality and general sinister rule. He hoped that with closer, more intimate dealings with Nara he would be able to figure out his play, dismantle his plan and neutralize the threat.

"Inform his office I will accept his offer to personally drop off his contracts. Then give his office my address and inform my security team at the manor of the drop off. Make it clear I do not want him there any longer than a few minutes."

"Yes sir," she comm-ed back. Pushing the hold button she conveyed her instructions to Kagura and wished her a good weekend before hanging up and finishing up the preparations.

Mr. Nara really did seem to be a nice guy, in her estimation. It was his secretary who pissed her off more than anything, although there was something about him that set her on edge, she refused to form a grudge against him based off a vague feeling, especially when she wanted to see more hanyou succeed in this world.

The hanyou in the room and his partner though were also wary of Mr. Nara. Sesshomaru had warned them not to engage with him without oversight from Sesshomaru has he suspected this newcomer of something – what he couldn't say, but he made the executive decision to personally oversee any and all connections made with Kumo Corp. and the VP team had adhered to his policy. He also creeped the pair out and they were more than happy to forgo a relationship with the hanyou if they could.

Finished alerting the staff, Kagome turned off her computer and closed down the office. Waiting at her desk, ready to go, she positively launched out of her chair when she saw Sesshomaru exit his office, briefcase in hand, and eagerly followed behind him towards the elevator, followed by a jovial pair of idiots.


	17. Weekend at the Manor

By the time they pulled into the driveway, Inupapa, Izayoi, Rin, and Kagome's grandfather were already standing on the porch. Before the SUV came to a total halt, Inuyasha launched himself out of the car at his parents. Sweeping his mother and Rin up in an affectionate hug, Kagome beamed at the sight. She had met them all before, but seeing Inuyasha so jovial and free of his surly façade he put up to protect himself brought her joy.

Hanyou deserved more.

She, Sesshomaru and Miroku followed behind him at a more sedate pace, approaching as Inuyasha clapped his father on the back and attacked Rin with tickles. Kagome and Miroku greeted their grandfather with hugs, before bowing to Inutaisho and Izayoi, now released from Inuyasha's grip as he was chatting excitedly with his little dog-eared sister.

"And then we went on the super-fast train and it went 'woosh!' all the way here!"

"You did! How come you guys didn't drive? I thought you had that nice big behemoth expressly for weekends like this?" Inuyasha asked his mom.

"Well we do, but Rin had never been on the shinkansen and since she just managed to learn to control her youki we thought we would give her a trial run. She did very well," her mother beamed as she gently rubbed her rosy-cheeked daughter's ear.

"That's amazing!" Inuyasha praised, proud of his little sister. She was only 20 years old and was already managing to suppress her youki in public. "That has to be a record, right? Do you know how long it took me to master my youki?" He asked.

"Half a century, if I recall correctly." Sesshomaru smoothly interjected, to scattered giggles. "You should be very proud to have such excellent control so young, Rin." He praised.

Smiling up at her half-brother lord, Rin coyly cocked her head to the side and looked askance, "I made a present for you, Sesshomaru-sama," she admitted in a small voice.

Upon seeing Sesshomaru's graceful nod, she dashed into the house at top speed, before returning a second later with a crown of flowers for her lord-brother. "I made them from the flowers in the garden at our house. They were so pretty I had to make them into something, and I thought they suited you best!"

He stood appraising the flowers with a careful eye. Rin had created a masterpiece of colour with white lily of the valley for happiness, golden chrysanthemum for loyalty, a silvery-blue gladiolus for strength, a yellow rose for friendship, and white poppies for peace. She had not only managed to honour him with an expertly made coronet, befitting his status as alpha of the pack, but had also managed to sum up how she felt about him and his reign. It was clear this pack member was content as a member of his pack. He thanked her with a caress of her head and though he would not put it on, he would treasure it as long as it would last.

Suddenly, before the party had moved into the house he heard his miko interrupt, "Ano, Sesshomaru-sama, Rin-chan, if you would like I think I might be able to preserve the flowers for you."

Surprised at her, but willing to see what she could do at the excited look on Rin's face, he acquiesced and held out the crown to the miko.

Templing her fingers together, Kagome gestured for the flowers to be placed on top of her hands and when they were securely in place, Kagome began her incantation. Suddenly, the flowers began to glow pink and the slightly drooping flowers, affected by the trip to Tokyo were revived and looking as beautiful as ever.

Once the incantation was over, Kagome gently handed them back to Sesshomaru who accepted with a quiet, "Thank you, Miko." Before holding them out for Rin to inspect.

"Waah, thank you miss Kagome! They look just like they did when I put them together!" The little girl politely exalted. She was glad Sesshomaru-sama got to see them as she had intended.

"They should stay like that for a very long time, perhaps forever if the spell lasts." Kagome assured, smiling at the sweet little girl.

At that Rin walked up to Kagome and once the miko crouched down, she gave her a great big hug.

Kagome was dying of how adorable the little girl. She was sweetness itself, but contrasting her with the harsh reality she would face when she got older hardened her resolve. Hanyous needed a place in their world and proper justice.

Inuyasha chose that moment to start bellowing, "Are we going in for food or what? I'm starving!" The rest of the group Kagome and Rin walked in together as Kagome got a moment to properly greet Inutaisho.

"Inupapa! It's good to see you again!" she greeted.

"And you, my girl. Are you staying with us for the week?" He asked, escorting his wife to their long awaited dinner.

"Oh, no. We're only here for the weekend. I imagine Sesshomaru –sama will want some time alone with his family without us interlopers." She joked.

"Ehh…" he expressed, seemingly slightly put out, "That doesn't give us much time to investigate what you've been up to!" Extending his arm to cross the gap and loop his arm around hers.

Leaning forward from her spot on her mate's other arm so she could see the miko, Lady Izayoi chimed in "He's been wanting to speak to you especially. I think he's worried Sesshomaru is being too hard on you."

"Oh, not at all," she laughed.

The inu demon on her side smelt the trace of a lie and heard her heartbeat pick up a little, curious as to what that meant, but brushed it aside.

With miko and mate on either side, he took up residence at the dining room table where dinner was already awaiting them. The dining room was equally well- appointed with sparse by elegant decorations that matched the tenor of the rest of the manor, speaking to calm dignity.

The dinner was anything but, the ancient demon lord observed as his eldest snapped at his brother for missing their match that morning, and his wife tried her best to keep the peace, while Miroku and Kagome received scolding from Hideo for neglecting their prayers at the shrine lately and both Miroku and Inuyasha blamed each other for their respective waywardness.

Inutaisho was happy to observe the close ties between the two families and the solid connections that spanned generations, ensuring they had individuals on the other side of the Pact they could rely upon.


	18. Eff-ing Spiders

The following week Kagome was back in the club, determined not to let her experience stop her from enjoying the Pact club scene.

Sango had just danced over with a new pair of drinks and she gratefully gulped it down. Dancing and drinking the night away was a delight especially when they played your favourite songs on loop.

Jiving to her favourite song, Kagome closed her eyes and spun around, delighted in the perfection of the moment. Sensing she had enough space she extended her arms, drink and all to spin more like she did when she was a little girl on a windy day.

As the song came to a close and the next started, she slowly opened her eyes, awaiting the dizziness she would sure would be enhanced because of the dizzying lights and the alcohol in her system.

To her surprise, all was still.

The lights were off with the exception of a light source somewhere above her and everyone was gone. Calling for Sango or, after a moment anybody, she had the most unwelcome sensation that someone was there, but she would rather they weren't. She didn't see, hear or sense them, but she had a clear and definite awareness that someone was in the room with her.

Mustering her courage Kagome asked the void who was there, only to be answered by the deeper silence that follows in the wake of a lone voice.

Decided that the best course of action was to head for the exit, wherever that was, Kagome stepped out of the pool of light and ventured into the inky blackness feeling her way through the void of space with her arms outstretched akimbo. Groping for something, anything she fought to keep her breath even and controlled, lest she lose her nerve. All thoughts of keeping calm fled the moment her right fingers brushed against a sparsely-haired limb. Spinning, she scrambled madly for the uncertain safety of the light.

Once back in the glow of the light, she shuddered. Although she had not seen what had brushed up against her, she instinctually knew it was a spider. When she was young and newly graduated to showers from baths, she had whipped open the shower certain to find a huge spider dangling centimetres from her face.

Ever since, Spiders had been her greatest fear.

Panicking, Kagome was still trying to recover herself when she heard a low voice from the darkness.

"My problem is your kind. I'm surprised Sesshomaru-sama keeps such a weakling near him…"

In a flash a long spidery limb reached out clasping a knife and drove it through her heart.

Kagome jack-knifed awake sucking in breath as quickly as she could. Once she had calmed to a pant, she slowly removed the earbuds she had put in the evening before to help her sleep and brought her legs to her chest. Brushing tears from her eyes Kagome waited for her breathing to subside before kicking off the covers of the spare bed in Sesshomaru's house and proceeded to suit up.

It was 5 am, but she was damned if she was willing to risk another dream like that.


	19. Disappointment

Inutaisho could tell something was off. From the moment he heard Kagome leave for the dojo a little after five in the morning, he sensed Sesshomaru was also awake but though he seemed intent on the miko's movements he stayed within his room, awake and brooding.

Curious about his son's reaction to her movements, Inutaisho gently untangled himself from his mate's lithe form threw on a kimono and headed for the dojo.

As he headed after her, he felt his son's rising ire, but curiously enough Sesshomaru did nothing, neither confronting him nor following in his father's wake.

Inutaisho had his suspicions regarding that particular issue, but his main concern was the obviously perturbed miko.

Kagome decided that rather than fall back asleep, she would head for the dojo and train. The promise of facing off against Inuyasha and if she won, maybe Inutaisho, and Sesshomaru himself was sufficient to take her mind off her nightmare, or so she hoped.

Briefly analysing her dream on the long walk to the dojo, she came to the conclusion that the attack had left her feeling vulnerable and the comment of the bouncer had left her feeling inadequate.

True, from time to time she contemplated quitting, but she had always been a competitive girl and she didn't want to be fired for inadequacy or incompetence. If she left, it would be on her terms when SHE decided to go.

To repair her damaged ego and ranking in their eyes Kagome resolved herself to finish off Inuyasha and every subsequent challenger she came up against. Her fingers twitched into a fist when she imagined the demon who attacked her and the damned hawk youkai, showing up to spar as well.

She was sick of people thinking she was a victim; it was time to change the headline.

Releasing her fist, she pulled the outer sliding door of the dojo open to reveal the pristine Taisho dojo. Opting to start off with some meditative archery, she headed, yawning for the weapon rack and grabbed a large yumi bow and strung it. These were larger than normal combat bows, and twice as hard to pull, but Kagome appreciated the difficulty the bow presented and enjoyed this rare opportunity to practice with such a relic.

Once she was ready and had slipped a human band on her ankle she lined herself up across the room from the targets. Making sure none were anywhere near, she sent off the first of many shots.

Kagome was in the midst of stringing the bow, mid-crouch when he entered.

Sliding the outer dojo door open, he heard Kagome stop her process of stringing her bow and stand, awaiting whoever was coming in.

Upon seeing Inupapa, she smiled and greeted him with a small bow from the back of the dojo.

"Good morning Kagome-chan. May I join you?" he asked.

"Certainly, Inupapa!" she replied enthusiastically. He headed for the weapon rack and took up a similar bow, threw on a human band before joining her at the end of the dojo. Sizing up the targets, he appreciated her good aim. Of the 4 she had fired, all had hit the target, most of which were within the ten ring.

"Impressive aim Kagome, and with a human band, no less."

"Ah, well… Once I defeated the kitsune family on our shrine, Gramps stopped me from unbound matches. So I took up archery to vent my frustration."

"Huh," he grunted, not unlike his younger son, before completing his setup and firing, narrowly making it onto the target, but nowhere near the centre.

"And you do this with a human band?" he asked, slightly embarrassed his arrow was so far out of the centre.

"Well, gramps explained that any miko was a great archer, with semi-sentient reiki powers guiding her arrow, only a true archer would be able to work under the powers of a human band."

"True," he observed, thankful her grandfather had been so contentious, but in the moment, determined to improve his form. He had always wielded a sword as his weapon of choice so archery often fell by the wayside. His daughter had been the archer in the family. Aiko had the truest aim he had ever seen and often aided the troops from behind until a monk had looped behind her.

The miko was a close second from what he could tell, making him grateful for the Pact once again. He would not want to be on the other side of a battlefield from her, with such aim and no reiki in her arrows to enable detection, she could easily pick off the youkai leaders within minutes.

Surreptitiously, the demon lord looked askance at the young miko and wondered at her abilities and the warning Hideo had imparted to him the night before when they had been awaiting Sesshomaru's arrival.

 _Hideo was disturbed when he had asked Inutaisho for a word._

 _"_ _Their numbers have been terrible. Sesshomaru has been erratic and angry at everything lately, so Kagome says. At first I thought Sesshomaru's possessive instincts were manifesting, but I think maybe he senses it." Hideo let the sentence die, concerned about the consequences if such a supposition were indeed true._

 _"_ _That can't be right, the seal holds, I haven't sensed anything and I'm looking for it." Inutaisho asserted._

 _Hideo was visibly relieved. "Thank the kami, but if that's the case what could be causing their numbers?"_

Inutaisho had been considering this and looking for clues but it wasn't until he saw his son that morning, disappearing back into his room to disguise his intent, that Inutaisho was confident Hideo's first conclusion was closest to the truth.

Sesshomaru was fighting his beast. His beast was clearly trying to protect her, but the rational side of his son would not allow such a match.

Geeze, that son of his. When would he be able to be frank about his feelings?

Upon considering this though, Inutaisho reflected on the precarious position his son was in. As lord of the West, he wasn't really free to indulge in feelings especially with a reiki user. The precarious peace they had created had been the harshest legacy he had passed to his son. The business might fail, their family name may die, but the peace must endure, he had instructed his sons when Sesshomaru had won his throne.

Sesshomaru clearly restrained his affections for the sake of his duty, and for that Intaisho was sorry. His son was in all likelihood the strongest being he had ever met, it would be a long time before a competitor came along and took away his title, even longer if his son decided not to procreate.

It was in this companionable competition, Inutaisho's arrows gaining accuracy with each attempt thanks to Kagome's subtle coaching that Lady Izayoi found them.

"Good morning Lady Taisho," Kagome bowed, spotting his mate before him.

"Good morning Kagome-chan. Have you two been here long?" She asked, uncertain of when her mate had left her side.

"Kagome was giving me pointers. I think perhaps we should have Rin train with her when she is old enough. Kagome has clearly mastered the human bands better than anyone else we know of." He praised, still slightly miffed he hadn't managed a true bullseye.

"Thank you Inupapa, I would be honoured." Kagome bowed, pleased he thought highly of her. Though she called him Inupapa per his instructions, she was always slightly in awe of the fact. Their very first lesson at the reiki school was on the pact and his name came up more than once. Pact members of both demon and spiritual origin knew the big twelve. The four demon lords, the four Reiki leaders, and the four jewel souls. To have a member of the 12 who were founders of the pact not only know who she was, but value her skills might never be something she got accustomed to.

Fortunately, in moments like this with sparing conversation and with a task like archery, where Kagome was in her element, she had no cause to be concerned about her confidence.

"It's breakfast time you two. If you intend to spend another long day in the dojo, you had best eat a substantial meal," she scolded.

At that Inutaisho hurriedly put the bow away, hung up the human band and dashed to his mate before sweeping her off her feet. Nuzzling into her neck and whispering lewd suggestions for what they could do in the bedroom all night after spending all day in the dojo, the pair made their way back to the main house.

Kagome, followed the pair at a respectful distance, admiring their enduring love that had lasted over 200 years and mildly wondering if she would be fated for something so wonderful.

At breakfast, Inuyasha challenged her again.

Walking up to Kagome who was already seated, getting her attention from her plate and the pleasant conversation she had been having with his mother with a gruff, "Oi, miko," she looked up.

"Yes, Inuyasha-san," She responded, politely before his mother.

"This morning, 10 am, first match. I'm going to finish what I started." Inuyasha had sensed Kagome was eager for the match, even more since her attack.

At that, Kagome smirked, "In your dreams, dog-boy, I'll be the one to take you out."

"You intend to fight Inuyasha?" Her grandfather asked from the other side of the table, shocked at her plans.

Suddenly realizing that she was cornered, she admitted.

"Well… yeah. We had a match last week that we didn't get to finish…" She trailed, hoping he wouldn't care if she fought Inuyasha. After all, he was powerful and from their pack's house and she wouldn't hurt him… Cutting him off before he could get upset, Kagome insisted, "Gramps, its fine," she chuckled, "we fought the other day and nothing went wrong. See, both in one piece." She said, waving her arms, hoping that they could get from his astonishment to acceptance of an unbound match in the next thirty minutes or so.

Sensing his cousin and best friend's need of an ally, Miroku chimed in, "Kagome's right, Grandfather, when they sparred Kagome held her own! It was quite a match and they've both been chomping at the bit to finish."

"Ya!" Inuyasha added, "Since I'm hanyou her power shocks only tingle!"

Upon seeing her granedfather's face and realizing that Inuyasha had buried their case too soon, she had the sudden strong desire to cover her face… here it comes…

"You threw POWER at him?" Her grandfather, thoroughly astonished shouted. "You know you're not supposed to go unbound with demons!" He suddenly jerked, stunning the table into silence.

"Gramps, he heals up in no time. It's really not a problem." Miroku assured him.

"I will not allow it." He uttered in the gravest tone he could muster, but when no one at the table seemed capable of believing that he would go that far, her grandfather rose from the table and left.

Hideo was upset, but could see the tide had turned against him. He would speak with Inutaisho about this.

Kagome, Inuyasha and Miroku finished their breakfast in puzzled silence, but neither Kagome nor Inuyasha were willing to give up their unfinished bout. Once done, they headed for the dojo talking animatedly all the way. Judging from the blasts of youki resonating from the training room, Inutaisho and Sesshomaru were already there.

Remarking on what the others had all sensed, Kagome commented, "Looks like we'll be starting early, boys." With a wicked glint she sprinted for the dojo ahead of the others and flung open the doors. As they walked in, Sesshomaru and his father descended, putting their impromptu warmup on pause.

The Taisho dojo really was amazing its cavernous walls rivalled the size of the manor itself and judging by the charms and enchantment on the walls, it could withstand even some direct attacks. Even the mats on the floor had been enchanted to take considerable beatings.

Heading straight for the weapon rack, Kagome shouted "I call first match!" eager to get started. She set her eyes on the naginata she had singled out earlier that morning and went out to grab it when the solid tenor of her boss interrupted her.

"No, miko. I have decided you will not be fighting today."

As she turned, she spotted her grandfather standing up from the sideline, making his way to the group. Clearly he had been talking to the alphas. Glaring at her grandfather, Kagome struggled to keep her tone even. "Gramps, I'll be fine. Don't worry – I won't permanently maim Inuyasha and I won't get hurt."

"That isn't the issue Kagome," Hideo admitted, but before he was able to elaborate Inuyasha stormed forward.

"Sesshomaru! That's not your decision! She owes me a rematch!"

"There will be no rematch, today or any other day." Sesshomaru dismissed.

"Come on, Sesshomaru! We've been waiting to finish this up!" Inuyasha was impatient to finish the fight, partly to see how he would fare against a fully trained miko like Kagome and gauge his abilities against other demons like his brother and father who had fought in the wars. But, and perhaps moreso, he wanted to give Kagome what he knew she needed right now. Inuyasha knew only too well how defeat made one want to prove themselves even more. While others might treat her like a victim, that was not what she needed at the moment. She needed someone to have faith in her and trust she could take care of herself, or perhaps more than that. Just as Inuyasha was about to yell again, Sesshomaru in a flash was before him glaring down at his sibling.

Cutting off the coming tirade and the challenge to his will that his brother was about to embark upon, he released his youki, focussing the bulk of it on his little brother.

The weight was palatable for all in the dojo. Inuyasha immediately gritted his teeth against the intense weight of the youki barrelling down on him, but was unable to withstand to the pressure. Grunting, he struggled for a few moments against the rising tide of his brother's power, but was soon overcome.

Giving in, Inuyasha kneeled before his brother to the astonishment of Kagome and Miroku who had never seen pack dynamics like this before. Once kneeling, Inuyasha threw his head back and the pressure immediately lifted. Inuyasha shakily stood and silently, skulked off to the sidelines to sit and glare while his brother and father headed for the weapons to start their match.

Kagome was still slightly confused and decided to investigate. Softly padding over to the sidelines with the others, she took up a seat next to Inuyasha before asking gently what had happened.

"He pulled rank," Inuyasha growled while glaring at his brother across the pitch.

Kagome was slowly coming to realize the significance of submission and the strength of youki in the dog demon pack. Though she had never seen such a thing from her employer, the sheer force of his youki was suffocating. He had, with his powers alone, forced his brother to submit.

Well, he hadn't forced her.

She watched the match, waiting for her next opportunity to challenge someone.

This time, she would go after the head honcho himself.

In preparation, she forced herself to get over her upset at being unable to fight and watch the match.

Inutaisho clearly favoured the offensive tactic, never letting Sesshomaru rest, but as he pursued his son about the ring, Sesshomaru managed to clearly demonstrate his own skill. Sesshomaru favoured the strategic, cutting attack and although he probably would have been better capable of attacking, but on the defensive he was only able to land blows intermittently.

The pair were well matched. They both looked formidable.

Inutaisho dashed across, Sesshomaru was also a blur, just a step before him.

Out of the corner of the eye, Sesshomaru got quick sporadic looks at Kagome. While she was clearly upset, she slowly got over her disappointment and seemed mesmerized.

Mentally preening, he increased the strength and speed of his shock attacks, hoping to impress her, his instincts to prove himself a worthy mate overcoming his rational side in the moment and the thrill of the match. Before long, Sesshomaru managed to wrap his whip around his father's leg. With a grunt and a growl, his father had fallen to the floor and tilted his head in submission.

Sesshomaru was clearly getting stronger, his father observed. When they had last fought the match had taken the better part of three hours, this one was over in under an hour.

That was, unless he was getting old…

Man, he needed to find a more regular sparring partner.

As they quit the field, Sesshomaru noted the gleam in Kagome's eye with wariness… surely not…

"I challenge you, Sesshomaru-sama, to an unbound match." She said, standing by an astonished Inuyasha. Would the miko never learn?

"I refuse." Sesshomaru answered.

"So you acknowledge that I am the better fighter?" She prodded, confident she had caught him.

"I acknowledge that you are not going to be fighting today and decline the match."

"Let. Me. Fight." She insisted, punctuating her words with crisp anger.

"Inuyasha is up next." Sesshomaru ordered. The recently submissive hanyou obediently rose and grabbed his sword at his side, before shooting her a sympathetic look and plodding out to the field.

"Why can't I fight?" She demanded to Sesshomaru who was already sauntering back onto the field. Inutaisho, Hideo and Miroku were standing nearby, ready to intervene whenever necessary, but curious how it would play out. Kagome was a force, but Sesshomaru, like it or not, was Alpha.

Instead of flexing youki as all expected and Kagome was bracing herself to fight, in a rare moment of honesty, Sesshomaru quietly responded as he paused on his way towards the ring. "Your attack the other day worried me. I don't want you to be in another situation like that until you are ready." Which was only partially the truth. In all honesty, he was worried about a litany of outcomes. Perhaps she would be hurt, she might accidentally harm a member of his pack, or worse: she might defeat Inuyasha, meaning he would have to face her and if that were to happen he was certain his beast would force submission at the end of the match and take her submission to indicate more than the end of a fight.

Taking a moment to appreciate his sincerity, Kagome couldn't simply take this and leave the issue. "Please Sesshomaru-sama, let me show you that I am alright. I _won_ that attack. I can handle myself and guard you. Please let me show you." She pleaded.

"No, miko, not today." He stated, continuing to where Inuyasha was waiting.

As she stomped back to the side, the words of the hawk youkai rang in her ears. She could not allow Sesshomaru to think that either she was hurt or that she was weak. She would have to find a way to spar today, even if she had to ambush Sesshomaru to do it.


	20. Poor Consolation

From his position in the middle of the pitch, waiting for Inuyasha's inevitable first move, Sesshomaru fought to stop his eye from darting to her position. Her aura was agitated, that much he knew. He had a good idea as to why, her pride was obviously hurt, but his reasons and his father's urging were stronger than her need to jump back into a dangerous situation.

When his father came to him that morning with Hideo, he was surprised to say the least. They informed him that although Kagome had plans to test her skills in the ring, this was not an option. The pair had advised that she was not yet recovered and that Kagome was not yet ready to get into a match, bound or unbound for fear it would trigger something.

Sesshomaru had agreed with them, though he was slightly disappointed that he would not be able to see her skills. From Inuyasha's intermittent praise it seemed she was a magnificent fighter unbound and he would like nothing more than to see what she could do. Her muscles tensing under her skin, the sheen of sweat…

Right now though, he mentally shook himself, he needed to focus on his lesson. The whelp had dared to shout at him and second guess his order. Not just an order at work, but an order in the ring, when safety and pack dynamics were all important and more instinctual than most non-demons realized.

Parrying his brother's attacks with ease, he noticed that as the match continued, her aura mellowed on the sidelines. Knowing Kagome that didn't necessarily mean she was resigned to his decision, but that she was momentarily distracted, and in all likelihood transfixed by the masterful match.

As he was focussing on her, Inuyasha saw an opportunity and took it. To the brat's credit, the attack was well timed and would have caught him on a slow day. Had this been a regular practice he would have praised him for the strike. But, as he spun out of the path of his brother's downward attack, he spotted her. Her eyes were locked on them, shining with admiration, as she half-heartedly carried on a conversation with Miroku, without breaking eye contact with the duelling brothers.

And then his instincts kicked in.

SHE saw him on the defensive. SHE saw his _little brother's_ masterful attack.

Well, he simply wouldn't be able to attack anymore, he resolved.

Within three moves the match was over. With a downward strike Inuyasha was on the defensive, with a sideways slash, Inuyasha was wounded and with a rush of silk and youki, Sesshomaru was posed over his wincing sibling, with his sword aimed at his throat, demanding submission.

It wasn't until she shouted that he was cognizant enough to marvel at his own handiwork. That had been unusually fast. Usually the brat presented slightly more of a challenge.

Kagome rushed onto the field shouting, "Inuyasha! Are you OK?"

Sesshomaru's jaw clenched as he moved aside to let her through.

"Yeah, yeah. The bastard just used his freak speed and caught me unawares." The hanyou growled with a glare at his brother.

With a grunt, Inuyasha was on his feet. The slash to his thigh felt deep, but if he had learned anything from being a hanyou in a demon's world it was that his wounds would heal and it was best not to let others see weakness.

Kagome was under his arm, helping him off the pitch along with his father. From her position at his side, Kagome leaned in conspiratorially and asked if he needed any help. He politely declined any medical attention. The thigh gash didn't appear to be anything threatening and the benefit of the lesson was better ingrained in his body if he fought through the healing process. The lesson today appeared to be don't draw the eye of an inu's object of… fascination.

As she helped to settle Inuyasha on the sideline with his father's assistance, Kagome sensed that Lady Izayoi and Rin were approaching the dojo. Lady Izayoi had made it clear the night before that she didn't want young Rin to observe the fighting yet, so her visit was rather unexpected.

Inutaisho also sensing their auras approaching rose, stretched, and headed for the door to meet them. As he opened the door to warmly greet his wife, his features assumed a decidedly colder smile than usual as his wife and daughter were accompanied by a foreign third figure.

From where Kagome was seated next to Inuyasha she could see Lady Izayoi was all affability with their guest. Though Kagome could not hear their conversation, Sesshomaru could and he looked rather frustrated. Inuyasha too seemed affected by the newcomer and quickly covered the gash on his leg with excess fabric.

Sesshomaru headed for the door as the guest was apparently invited in. As he got closer to the entryway and greeted Sesshomaru, Kagome could finally tell it was Mr. Nara. Unlike any other day she had seen him, today he was dressed informally, as befitted a man on a weekend. It was strange seeing him out of formal clothing, but he was no less congenial, so Kagome smiled in greeting when his eyes swept the room.

"Good afternoon, Sesshomaru-sama, and Taisho family and friends!" he greeted the group, and to he business partner added, "My apologies for the interruption. I needed some more time the review the contract as our company lawyer was on vacation."

"Thank you for dropping off the forms. I trust they have all been signed properly." Sesshomaru said bluntly, not pleased with the cheerful interloper.

"Of course Sesshomaru-sama. I have high hopes that this deal will not only yield benefits for both our businesses, but that it might give way to more projects of this sort and a deeper relationship between our companies." He said with a genuine smile.

Inuyasha wanted to gag. Was the man running for Miss Japan?

"Only time will tell, Nara-san," came Sesshomaru's curt reply.

With only a slight sign that Sesshomaru's response was less than ideal, he tried another avenue.

"As I was approaching I felt some intense aura shocks. Where you by chance sparring with your family?" Nara attempted.

"Nara-san, you are free to leave the contracts in the house." Came the stony response.

Inutaisho and Inuyasha's faces were perfect masks of geniality, but the others in the room were surprised by how terse the conversation between Sesshomaru and his business partner was. Kagome had seen him lash out at clients plenty, but she had never really seen him verbally shove someone out of the room before when in possession of his faculties, and playing host.

Fortunately, Nara's demeanour suffered none and the cheery man persisted in his attempt to engage the stony family.

"Oh, I've already done that," he assured. "But I thought it would be rude of me to come all the way here and not apologize for sending it over so late. I would also like to apologize for inconveniencing your miko."

Turning to Kagome, he bowed politely, "Kagome-san, I am sorry for the inconvenience, I hope you won't hold it against me."

Blushing at the deference, Kagome replied, "Not at all Nara-sama. I am grateful you came all this way to hand it in." She wanted to rush over and give the poor man a hug, surprised at how he was being treated, but she didn't want to risk upsetting anyone.

"Speaking of all this way, is this strictly a family tournament, or is it open to outsiders?"

Inutaisho, speaking for the family offered, "If you would like we could accommodate you, Nara-san, but the tournament has just finished."

"That's alright! Just a friendly bout would do me fine!" Nara offered. "Would anyone like a match-"

Before the words were out of his mouth, Kagome shot her hand into the air, "Hai," she insisted.

Sesshomaru fought his initial reaction to stiffen and release a growl. This would not do. He needed to keep an eye on Nara, that was certain, but he did not mean to drag Kagome into this.

"The miko will not be combatting today." Sesshomaru interrupted, his tone brooking no argument.

Or so he thought. But an indignant Kagome, finally seeing a sliver of hope on the horizon and determined not to let it out of her grasp asserted herself.

"Yes, I will. I am all suited up and ready to go." She faced off against her boss, both staring the other down.

"You may fight the monk," he offered he offered to Mr. Nara, shocking the monk on the sidelines into wide-eyed silence.

At this Kagome had to interrupt.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I believe I volunteered. I am going to face off with Mr. Nara. He had requested a match, and I have not yet had one. As a partner of yours, he should have the privilege of facing off in the Taisho dojo. We are going to have a fun match and there is nothing you can say to convince me otherwise."

Sesshomaru broke eye contact first, instead offering, "Nara-san, I will fight you." He insisted, stopping Kagome mid stride to the weapon rack.

Whirling on Sesshomaru, she was saved in a red-faced tirade by a very polite Mr. Nara. "My lord, I couldn't bother you to go again after such an epic match. Besides, I've been dying to try my powers against a miko of Kagome-san's caliber. I've heard from my friends in the pact dojo that she is an incredible miko and I've been eager to see her in action for myself."

Kagome paused, awaiting what Sesshomaru would say, as he considered.

The miko was well protected, with himself, his father and Inuyasha in the room should anything go south. Her grandfather and cousin were there if she was injured so it was unlikely anything terrible could go wrong.

Also, if he pulled rank and hospitality, Nara would discover his interest in the miko, if he hadn't pieced it together already. He was convinced that the hanyou was a lurker, looking for the slightest weakness in everyone before he pounced.

"Very well." The daiyoukai yielded to the miko. They eventually worked out that match would allow Kagome and Nara to go unbound, on the condition that Nara would only use his webs and that they would fight until immobilized. As he explained to the spider, he did not want his "secretary out of commission" for any length of time.

So long as he was able to focus on the match and not her safety, he was hopeful he would be able to learn something of the wily hanyou. When he really thought about it, this was probably the best possible environment, on his home turf, to see what the hanyou was up to, were it not for the miko striding into the ring as cannon fodder.

But that too he needed to let happen to throw the lurker off his scent. He could NOT allow Nara to know of his regard for his miko.

Inutaisho was also wary of the hanyou, convinced his playful aura was a front, but was much more subtle in the art of appearing unaware than his ever vigilant and stony-faced son. He settled in at the sideline, opting to keep a sword close at hand should anything go awry.

Gleefully heading for the weapons rack, in jovial conversation with her opponent Kagome bounced and stretched, excited to finally have a chance to demonstrate. Hoping that she had been paying close enough attention to some of the amazing moves put on display earlier, Kagome opted for a sword. This one was shorter than the one the inus had made use of and not likely to transform, but it felt good in her hands and she was eager to impress them. _Perhaps if they see me hand this guys ass to him in_ their _medium them they will understand._

Prancing into the ring, Kagome quickly finished a warm up, eager to prove: I am not weak. She repeated the mantra to herself over and over. That demon the other night was a fluke. There was no way she would be willing to let him or anyone get the better of her.

Once ready, she stopped stretching and got into positon, her sword at her side, waiting for Nara-sama to get into a complementary position across from her.

Once he was ready he mimicked Kagome, having also selected a sword. Before they bowed, Kagome insisted, "Nara-sama, don't hold back. Anything you've got, I can handle."

"Anything, miko?" He mildly taunted in his smooth and soft voice.

"ANYTHING," she emphasized, punctuating each syllable with fervour. They had spoken when he was last in the office, early this time for his appointment and the conversation had turned to the rumors of Kagome.

 _"_ _My associates have told me you are an incomparable fighter."_

 _"_ _Ohh? I wasn't aware there were rumors about me! I'm flattered." She preened, rather surprised she had gotten the attention of the demons in Tokyo._

 _"_ _We should have a match sometime."_

 _"_ _Ehh? I didn't think you were a fighter, Nara-sama." She said, genuinely surprised. Afterall, not every demon was predisposed to combat training._

 _"_ _I don't usually, but I would love to see what would happen in an unbound match with a miko. I'm a hanyou, you see, and the effects of reiki differ for each of us."_

 _"_ _Oh, well, anytime I fight with Inuyasha he's quite resistant to my powers. They burn him a little, but nothing big comes of it."_

 _"_ _Oh?" genuinely interested, he inquired, "Do you often spar unbound with Inuyasha-san?"_

 _"_ _uhh, well… not often. Whenever we manage to get the chance, really. I would love to go unbound more often, but each party needs to be aware of the dangers and once they are they often decline…"_

And so the wheels had been set in motion.

The bar attack had been staged to test things out. But there was still one lingering question. Fortunately his backup plan to visit the Taisho manor paid off as she was there, and now she was begging for a fight with him. This, the grinning hanyou decided, was too perfect!

Now it was here and he would finally find out why the miko was so formidable. If it was what he suspected, he would have much to be grateful for.

Smiling at the miko, he assented, "Of course miko, if that is your wish," and bowed.

Kagome was amazed. The demon she assumed was more the playful type had clearly studied swordplay. His slashes were clean but at the same time, twisted. His thrusts both distracting and a parlay to a deeper slash attack.

His style took her sometime to learn and cost her a shallow slash on her upper thigh, but once she got it down, she managed to wrestle the upper hand from him.

As she learned more about Naraku's style she decided to copy Sesshomaru-sama's style with slight modifications. Unlike Inuyasha who favoured heavy forward defence and Lord Inutaisho's style which consistently kept people on the defensive with fast and relentless strikes, Sesshomaru's which stressed defense, cautious planning and careful, but devastating attacks was the best for her situation.

Jumping back until she was a safe distance, watching Nara allow her a pause, Kagome breathed deep, centred her powers and assumed Sesshomaru's favoured stance.

Watching from the sidelines, Sesshomaru's beast was agitated. _Mate is in the ring. Mate is in danger. Stop it. Stop it! You risk all for this. You would put her in danger for this. Stop her!_

But Sesshomaru was resolved. They needed this. The hanyou had been a mystery for weeks now and he was no closer to learning anything about him. He now knew from their discussion before the match he was a spider, which immediately made him regret his decision to allow the match.

Spiders were both steadfast and capricious.

His spies had turned up without anything new. Trusted business contacts knew nothing and even the best paper pushers couldn't figure out just when he had come into existence, if he had a family or where he had emerged from.

The beast chanted, frantic in his head as he watched the match with a tensed jaw and flexing fist from the sidelines, trying desperately to ignore the beast and focus on what he could glean about the hanyou.

Whispering low, so only his father beside him could hear, he instructed him to focus on the hanyou, "Learn what you can father. I need a hint about him, anything."

Inutaisho heard the strain for control in the low growl and nodded. The miko's draw was taking a toll on his son.

Sesshomaru was focussed on Kagome and grunted when she was sliced across the thigh. Forcing himself back, nearly mad with worry, he forced himself to focus on how the light in her eyes shone brighter and her body language didn't show any exhaustion or fear.

The pair in the ring took a moment to re-centre themselves and he watched her centre her power, close her eyes and open what seemed to be a new set of eyes, these were filled with a plan, aimed at the hanyou.

 _Mate is… determined._ The beast observed, equally enchanted with the form and new resolve she presented on the field.

Eyes widening, he recognized the stance she now took and stared in awe, she was mimicking him.

Stalking forward, her sword facing behind her, she warned, "Nara-san, I'm using reiki now."

Kagome then took a moment, infused her sword, and swung her sword launching a reiki strike directly at Nara.

Nara, eager to see the effects of her reiki, put up a weak barrier which blocked only part of the attack. Fortunately it only burned for a moment, but, he determined, her brand of reiki was more potent than he had expected.

He decided to make use of his web, hoping to see the effect her reiki would have on his youki-infused snare. As she watched, Nara expanded his youki out of his back and began to rise in the air. Tendrils of webbing shot out to the sides of the dojo in an impressive display of violet webbing which blocked off half the field. Knowing spider youkai to have immensely sticky webbing, and not liking the sensation of feeling trapped, Kagome opted to diminish what she could of it using her sword. Taking a deep breath, she poured what reiki she could into the sword, ran forward and swung, only mildly surprised by Nara's lack of offence.

Nara had just been dying to see how his superior webbing stood up to her powers, but was soon put in his place when with one flash of her blade the structure was infected and in seconds, was burnt to a crisp. Nara smoothly propelled himself down to the ground only to find the miko waiting for him and within seconds she had a blade to his neck.

"I believe, Mr. Nara, that I have won." She said magnanimously, eyes shining.

Nara graciously accepted defeat but grappled with an even harsher reality. She was far more powerful than him, and there appeared to be nothing to her other than her kami-given reiki abilities which were considerable.

Pity.

In that very same moment, Sesshomaru's beast came to the same realization. If she was the strongest, she was meant for him and no other. At the moment she was once again the challenge he longed for. There she was in his pitch, defeating a lesser male, practically begging for someone to come along and make her submit.

 _Mate is the strongest, needs a strong alpha. We must have her._ At Sesshomaru's growl, Kagome turned in time to see him stagger forward with eyes bleeding red. Something was setting him off. He needed her to calm him down.

Without a thought, she headed for the sidelines, watching Sesshomaru snarl at his father and brother who tried to intercede. Sesshomaru was making his way to her, slowed minutely by a vague awareness on his rational side that this was not what he wanted to happen before foes, or hell, family for that matter.

As before, Kagome approached the feral Sesshomaru, gently speaking to him, calming his beast visibly before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in for an embrace sinking his face into her hair and inhaling deeply.

A mental war raged within Sesshomaru. He needed her safe, he needed to mate her, protect her, pup her, take her away somewhere, and keep her safe, but he could not do it and he should not do it before a foe trying to find his weakness. He was furious he lost control and even more upset everyone witnessed it.

He needed to regain control and come up with a cover story. As his beast resettled, caressing her hair, comfortable with the knowledge for now that she bore his scent, Sesshomaru worked up a plan.

If Inutaisho had his doubts, they were all gone now. Keeping his features schooled, he watched his eldest son embrace they fiery miko and watched as his beast was restrained without the expenditure of reiki. Sesshomaru didn't need the miko, he needed Kagome. His son was not merely enamoured with the miko, he appeared to be in love.

To make everything worse, the hanyou saw everything.

This was a disaster.


	21. A Bitter Dinner

Miroku had been to his share of dinners, but this was by far the most delicious spread he had ever encountered. Even when he thought had met the ultimate in culinary fare at the Taisho's restaurant in Tokyo had paled in comparison. It seemed that when the Inu clan got together, their chef pulled out all the stops.

While the previous night had been a full five course, well-appointed Japanese dinner, this was a smattering of plates exquisitely prepared and cautiously planned. It seemed everyone's favourite dish was on the table. Miso glazed black cod, alongside decadent Kobe steak and the lightest tempura ever were in the centre of the table, each its own study in mouth-watering perfection. Rin at his side was chomping on Taisho tonkatsu, presumably made for her, while Izayoi on his other side busied herself with a waldorf salad. Which reminded him, she had mentioned a few minutes before under her breath that it was delicious, he had to work up the courage to reach out and grab some at an opportune moment.

For while the meal itself was exquisite, the conversation was decidedly bitter.

He and his fellow captives were initially in a fine mood upon reaching the dinner table, but the dreary mood of some of their fellow diners had quickly darkened the spirited atmosphere leaving the table in relative silence.

Across the table from him were Inutaisho, Kagome and Hideo. Kagome tried to muster cheer periodically, but gave up soon after sitting down, now looking as if she would rather pout and push peas about her plate like she used to when her grandfather said she couldn't fight. Meanwhile her grandfather to her right refused to speak to her as, he she HAD gone against his wishes and fought anyways and Mr. Nara occasionally mustered the courage to try new topics on the trapped populace.

Poor guy.

Mr. Nara clearly had little idea of how complicated a group he had stumbled into for dinner and was still trying to ring in the cheer.

All the while, Inuyasha and Inutaisho kept stony silence, each in their own worlds as they went over the ramifications of the day.

At the head of the table, Sesshomaru brooded.

So, Miroku invested his time in the meal before him. That way he figured there would be one pay-off this evening.

"Kagome-san, would you like some more rice?" Mr Nara offered, jolting her out of her temporary rage stare at the centre of the table.

"Oh, please." She accepted.

Mr. Nara really was a nice guy. Despite having been the recipient of Sesshomaru's less than hospitable behaviour and having lost his match, he was still in a positively jovial mood.

Why couldn't she work for someone like that? As the cheerful Nara started up a conversation with Izayoi about the upcoming exhibit in the National Museum, she briefly fantasized about what it would be like to work for Mr. Nara. She imagined stress free days, a kind, understanding boss, a stable work environment and only on the rarest of occasions would she be required to calm him down. Once, maybe twice a year tops …

"-formidable fighter." She caught as she tried to get back into the conversation Mr Nara was engaged in while her boss merely hnn'd noncommittally. At least the topic seemed promising.

"I hope to continue to square off against your miko in the local gym. Hopefully I'll be able to generate a decent defense strategy before then though!" Mr. Nara quipped.

Seeing her opportunity, she piped up. "Perhaps we could have a rematch after dinner. Miroku didn't-"

"No." Sesshomaru uttered with finality.

Jumping in to save the situation Miroku spoke out "I don't need to have a go, cousin, I'm just enjoying the ambiance…" He finished lamely.

In the silence that followed, majority of the table remembered those few moments after the final match that bred such discontent now.

 _Once the red had cleared from Sesshomaru's eyes, his protective embrace of Kagome slackened, his spine straightened and he callously pushed Kagome aside. With a shriek, she stumbled into the ready arms of Inuyasha who had approached as his brother regained control._

 _Outrage at being shoved brimmed in the miko, but her violent train of thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Nara._

 _"_ _Sesshomaru-sama, I'm glad to see you are back with us!" quipped the hanyou from the field as he came back to the sidelines. "I wonder what set you off!"_

 _Sesshomaru looked disdainfully down at his miko, his beast howling mournfully inside, begging him not to. "I was disappointed in the caliber of my miko. I had expected better given all the chatter about her abilities, but find her lacking."_

 _Mr. Nara jumped to the agog miko's defence, "But Sesshomaru-sama, she bested me, and I certainly…"_

 _"…_ _Were holding back on my orders. I appreciate your efforts to save me from a temporary replacement for a few days, Mr. Nara." The Demon lord quipped. Putting on a kinder tone, she briefly heard him invite Nara to stay for supper before she was out of earshot, having stormed off to the manor._

All afternoon Miroku and Inuyasha had tried to include her in their video games, hopeful they would manage to take her mind off things, but after a few minutes of spoiling the mood, she opted to go to her room for a shower and a sulk.

That match had not gone as she wanted, but she still won and for Sesshomaru to imply once again that she was weak… She wanted to PUNCH something.

"Then I challenge you to an unbound fight this evening after dinner, Sesshomaru sama," she declared, levelling the demon at the head of the table with her steadiest glare.

"Kagome," her grandfather turned to her now, "you know my stance on unbound fights. Not to mention how unseemly it would be for you to fight against your pact partner. I cannot allow you to go through with this." He uttered, in his firmest tone.

But Kagome was not interested. She had been stewing all day and was determined to set things right the only way she knew how. She needed to prove herself a strong opponent against the winner of the tournament.

"For the last time, no, miko." Sesshomaru replied, in his own deep tone.

"You have to accept a direct challenge, Sesshomaru sama," she said aghast.

"I have to do no such thing. I am host and I've decided not to combat."

Looking around the table in search of allies, she found none and, though Mr. Nara, Miroku, and Inuyasha seemed to be in her corner, there were none there that would speak for her.

Fed up, Kagome removed her napkin from her lap, threw it down on her plate and stormed out of the dining room, silence in her wake.

Though Izayoi and Inutaisho tried their level best to resume the conversation after that, not ten minutes of scattered conversation had passed when the miko was heard by the demons of the table descending the stairs, bags in tow and asking Jaken for a cab company.

Inuyasha spoke then, "Should I-?"

"No, let her leave." Sesshomaru answered, hearing a ghostly echo in his ears.


	22. The Grindstone

Kagome sighed in relief, almost crying with happiness.

She just got an e-mail from her increasingly anti-social boss notifying crucial staff that Inuyasha would be taking over the public side of the business, including all meetings for the foreseeable future.

Thank. The. Kami.

Ever since the incident at the Taisho Manor, Sesshomaru had been increasingly volatile, his beast emerging every day, and everyday seemed worse than the last. Just yesterday she had been summoned four times to calm him down. Moreover, he had been almost aggressive in his hostility towards her. Snapping for nothing and talking down to her.

Kagome was of course still furious with him as well. Since she left the manor that night a week and a half ago neither had said anything about her departure, but her anger continued to fester over the incident and every spare minute she had spent in the gym. One day, she resolved, one day she would fight the man. At the moment beating him to a bloody pulp and laughing uproariously as he begged her forgiveness was but a distant (and entirely unrealistic) daydream. Her goal after all was not to beat him, but to be seen as an opponent who would manage to survive more than a few minutes in the ring.

But Kagome was a professional and though she was haunted by his refusal and furious at her humiliation, she refused to allow it to affect her work. Unfortunately, it seemed Sesshomaru had no such scruples.

Today was supposed to be a light day. He had three meetings and several dossiers to look over, but nothing too big or busy, in theory.

In execution their day had been something different.

He had needed her reiki during each of his meetings and had snapped at her when she brought in the quarterly projections. Over nothing!

Every single encounter today alone was laden with what she interpreted as loathing. When she rescued the first client (a human) he had been curt.

With the second and the third, both demons, he had been outright rude.

What year were they in? The pact was put into place to prevent reiki-youki hostility, not make it more convenient to commit.

Within minutes of the newest order being e-mailed to essential parties, Inuyasha alighted from the elevator and made a beeline for Kagome's desk, "What the hell?"

With a similar look of surprise Kagome offered frankly, "It's been bad lately."

Sesshomaru's office door just then opened swiftly with a whoosh, letting out its only occupant. "Miko, if you do not keep your comments to yourself regarding our private numbers, I will report you to the organization for breach of confidentiality."

Shocked and angry, Kagome stared back at him, but was saved from expanding on her 'commentary' by Inuyasha, "What the FUCK, Sesshomaru?"

Ahh, lovely Inuyasha.

"If you are here to discuss my latest order, come into my office. Do not involve my secretary in our dealings." Sesshomaru ordered.

"Your secretary has a name, you asshole, and this most definitely concerns KAGOME. Why am I being charged with the public business?"

"Come into my office."

"No, anything you need to say about this can be said in front of your partner."

Kagome, recognizing where the conversation was going, got up, grabbed her laptop and headed for the stairs. She would go sit with her cousin. "See you later Inuyasha." She shot back over her shoulder.

"Oi wench, stay here, you have every-"

No one would know what it was he was going to say as just then, Sesshomaru like a flash grabbed his brother about the throat and slammed him into the adjacent wall.

Loose plaster fell about them as Sesshomaru's red eyes told Inuyasha all he needed to know about Sesshomaru's mental state.

The man had lost it.

Inuyasha, in no position to submit, and unable to speak listened in awe as Sesshomaru growled low in the inu tongue. "Do not insult my mate, whelp. Do not think to order her about. I would gut you here for such an insult… "

Before the beast before him found the end of his rambling line of thought, Kagome's hand appeared, grabbing the wrist at Inuyasha's throat and glowing a gentle pink which instantly distracted and settled the demon. The pressure soon let up on this throat, allowing the hanyou a breath, and then another. Evening his breath, he centred himself and reflected. The whole attack had lasted but seconds, but he understood. He saw his brother for what he truly was.

The man was a damn coward.

The beast had clearly chosen Kagome. She was meant to belong to the demon lord, destined to be the mate of the strongest demon alive, but instead of forging into unknown or controversial territory, the man was hell-bent on denying himself and putting his match through misery.

All for the sake of his damn pride.

Looking to his brother, the man he had idolized for the longest time, he came to realize was nothing but a fool.

The realization was shocking. He felt as if he were not really seeing his brother shove the miko away from him and retreat into his office. A different, lesser man would do that, not his childhood hero, not the formidable leader of the demon court.

Before he slammed the door, Sesshomaru uttered darkly over his shoulder, "You have my order Inuyasha. Follow it or I will find a new VP who can handle his duties."

It took Inuyasha some time to recover. When he snapped out of it, he realized Kagome too was standing there, staring at the door his brother now hid behind. Seeing Inuyasha approach, she gave herself a playful, physical shake and headed for her desk to pull out the forms for the Pact organization and report their newest incident.

Watching Kagome fill out the form, Inuyasha felt nothing but pity for her. She was being punished for nothing but the crime of being born human, like his own mother.

Izayoi was a perpetually happy woman. Even when she overheard some of the less choice things said about her, she was a delight. A warm, welcoming and unconditionally affectionate centre of their family.

If Sesshomaru were bold like his father, Kagome could be that happy woman, and even more.

Izayoi had grown up in an era when women were not educated and did not play a big role in the world. From what he knew of her noble upbringing, she had been taught that she should be seen and not heard. Gradually over the years she had tried getting more involved in their world to help improve it, but owing to the scandal of her relationship with her mate, she had tried not to make too much of a splash.

Kagome as Lady of the West would be the opposite. The world be damned, she wanted to make a splash and make the world a better place with her own two hands. Already Kagome had pitched her newest project to him in advance of her formal presentation to Lord Asshole in the other room. It was amazing. He only hoped his damned brother would be able to be partisan enough to see the amazing value of her proposition and not completely rip it apart because of his own issues.

Once she finished filling out the form, Inuyasha broached the topic.

"Are you alright?"

"Ya, I'll be fine – it happens." She said brightly, but being a hanyou he could tell she wasn't completely unaffected by the past few minutes.

"Come on, let's go grab a drink with Miroku. It's four, the asshole can let you have a break."

"Actually," She said, checking her e-mail, "He just let me off for the day. Instead of a drink, I could use a bout. Wanna fight?"

Later that night, Inuyasha returned to the darkened headquarters and headed not for his own office, but for his brothers'.

Opening the door without invitation, Inuyasha made his way into the room noting that his brother had left the lights off and opened the blinds, and was currently reading documents by moonlight.

Seeing no point in beating around the bush, Inuyasha got to the heart of it.

"Why are you doing this to her? Pops told you about the significance of your beast's decision in finding a mate."

Glancing up from his paperwork, his elder brother glared at the hanyou before him. "You know nothing," he declared before turning back to his report.

Really the report was of little interest, but it had been the nearest scrap of paper he could get his hand on when he discovered his brother was coming to pay him a visit. Prior to picking up the folder, he had been staring off into the night.

"She is an innocent in all this. You do her a greater disservice than yourself by denying the both of you happiness."

Looking up from the sheaf of documents again, Sesshomaru queried, "Tell me hanyou, what do you know of ruling? Do you know the pressures on one such as I?"

"No, but-"

"Do you know WHY father abdicated? Because he KNEW that if his subjects knew he intended to mate a human as the ruler, he would lose everything. It would mean either assassination of his clan, or war, Inuyasha. Would you wish that on us now?"

"No, of course not, but you are stronger than Pops was then. It would just mean you would need to prove your strength, it would mean you would need to be brave and declare your intention as you always have."

"At the risk of war? The end of our line? Her death? Never."

To that, Inuyasha had little to say. Sesshomaru was clearly aware of the significance and depth of his feelings if she ranked on the list of the three greatest threat to him, but Inuyasha persisted as he headed for the door.

"You belong together. Times are changing Sesshomaru. I think you would be surprised how much. You watch – it's inevitable that the two of you get together, if today's incident says anything. In the end you will do the brave thing and mate her."

"No Inuyasha," he replied with a deep note of sadness minutes after his brother had left. "I will be strong and let her go."


	23. Escalation

She was ready. She could do this. He was her employer, he was being mean lately, but he wasn't without a conscience. While his outburst last week was unwarranted he had been aloof ever since, and without the need to see him as often, she found he could still be quite civil, over e-mail.

Lately he had kept to his office. She neither saw him enter or exit and it seemed that lately he had no need of paper reports, now preferring to receive them electronically. She was really starting to loathe this setup as it deprived her of their witty repartee and the sense she was doing good, in her small, bureaucratic way.

But now she was ready for more.

It would be fine, she assured herself. He needed a break and this initiative of hers was a no-brainer. Even if he seemed unfriendly lately, he would surely come around and appreciate her idea for what it was; A total stroke of genius inspired by the need for real and lasting change.

Excited with a healthy dash of nerves, Kagome got her proposal materials together, double checked they were all in order and headed for his door. Pausing before the door, she took a deep zen breath, and feeling her jitters subside, nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and knocked.

She shouldn't have been so nervous, really. She had been in this room dozens of times before, she knew him to be a fair and magnanimous ruler and that he would hear her out.

Upon his low "enter" Kagome opened the door and went in.

Still taking deep breaths, she noted the room was the same, albeit a shade darker than it usually was. It seemed he did not feel the need to open the blinds when company was not expected. No matter. Her boss was the same and she had done this the right way. She had made an appointment, sent her proposal summary ahead of time, ensured he had seen it and knew the person she was pitching to, knowing him and the struggles facing the pact world, Sesshomaru was already pre-disposed to like the proposal.

Without saying a word, he turned off his computer screen and gestured for her to begin.

"The Pact is the centre of our world. Our ability to work alongside former enemies and have our own vibrant sub society within the city is important to reiki users and youki beings alike. But with the close relationship between spirit types, romances are burgeoning everywhere. Sadly, many of these cross-spirit couples are afraid to go public and things only get worse for them, the longer they stay with their chosen partner.

Love should not be restricted by peace, but it is. Our closer relationships have resulted in love being limited and the result of these loving unions, whether demon-reiki or demon-human are forced to live ostracized and hidden. It is one thing for the hanyou to supress their identities from wider human society, but for majority to feel the need to hide themselves from their own communities is a travesty. Hanyou should be celebrated as beautiful symbols of what the Pact has accomplished, not attacked, bullied, harassed or ostracized.

We need the Pact commission on fairness."

From there Kagome delved into the specifics of her plan for a balanced commission with both reiki and youki oversight, stipulation for new laws and punitive measures to ensure the protection of loving couples and children caught in the middle.

From the very start Sesshomaru felt she was speaking directly to him about their safety and the safety of the lovely hanyou pups he had dreamt of ten times since she had started working for him. His little white or black haired children, sometimes with tails, other times with ears, all with fangs playing in the manor under the watchful eye of their loving parents.

Her commission was well thought out and would be a wonderful thing. He could have used something like it to defend his brother when he first came on the scene. Instead he'd had to cripple more than his fair share of bullies to defend his little brother and Inuyasha had to work harder than anyone to earn his position in society and often, his life.

At the end of her proposal she had a full budget put together and made very reasonable requests for funding and participation from him and the other leaders she hoped to include in the new commission. With all his heart he wanted to endorse it, run it over to the others on her list and make her dream of a safer pact world a reality, but before he could let himself do it, he heard himself say.

"It won't work."

"uh… pardon?" She asked, startled at his interruption of her conclusion.

"The commission is a good idea, but it would never work," he heard himself say in a world-weary tone.

"Why not?" She asked, genuinely curious about the cause of her idea's failure.

"The demon world is not ready for it. There are still too many demons out there who want to attack monks and mikos for their ancestor's role in the reiyou wars. Demons are still too frightened of what will happen to our depleted numbers if they start to breed out with humans or reiki. This idea is good, but it's coming too soon." As he said it, he heard his beast howl in his head. Here was the miko, defending her future children, working hard for their future and he was not only trying to deny their children, but crushing her dreams.

His rational side won out. It was too soon. The demon world was not ready for a commission of such a mandate. They would sooner see the end of the pact than allow for the protection of cross-spiritual couples.

Kagome's heart had plummeted. He was her only real heavy-hitting connection within the demon world. If he didn't at least endorse the idea if not chair the commission the idea would go nowhere. Even though Inuyasha had pledged his support, it would do little good in the demon community without the support of the current, full-blooded, youkai, head of the demon court before her.

"I-I could retool it to lessen the harshness of some of these punishments and create a building scale on which they would grow in intensity, you know, until the community adjusts?" She scrambled.

"No miko, I do not think the community is ready for any kind of control over this yet. There just isn't enough awareness of this as an issue."

"But everyone knows of your father and Izayoi-sama and Inuyasha-sama. There is your success story right there. He's considered formidable by his opponents and the community respects him."

"They respect him because of his name. My father was the greatest warrior of the ReiYou wars. He lost a family to its ravages and kept going. Inuyasha exhibited such family traits when he had to fight for his very life when he went public 100 years ago. He is the exception, I assure you and while I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone, the demon community believes it to be a useful debut for hanyou to have to fight for their spot in this world. There needs to be another example of a hanyou being strong without having to fight for their position before they will be taken seriously. I cannot endorse your project."

"Oh," Kagome dejectedly acknowledged. She hadn't realized it ran so deep. Half-heartedly she suggested, "Perhaps an educational initiative then, telling reiki and youki about their counterparts and explaining the lives of hanyou?"

"I might be able to support something like that," he acquiesced, mostly due to the baying of his beast. He really did like her project. It was something they could really use to turn around the failings of their world, but her safety at the moment was more important.

"Alright. I'll put something together then. Thank you for your time." She bowed, hiding the lone tear that had escaped with the hair that tumbled over her face.

His beast was furious. _She was crying. Why was she crying?_ The beast, once again maddened at the stupidity of the 'rational' took control, gave a warning growl and before Kagome had the opportunity to look up, had begun a slow approach.

Upset by the death of her dream, Kagome allowed the beast to back her up against the door and let out a soft grunt when her back hit the solid wood and Sesshomaru's arm came up to trap her.

 _What had set him off?_ She gazed up at the red eyes that looked keenly into hers, before noticing that he was tracing the tracks of her tears with his eyes.

Kagome moved to wipe them away but his other arm came up and stopped the movement.

Slowly replacing her hand at her side as he silently directed, he once again raised his hand to gently wipe away the tears on her face, before laying his hand at rest on her cheek. Growling softly, he slowly wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close.

Growling in a language she did not understand, she allowed him to tuck her head under his chin and gently rub her back.

After a minute of this, Kagome was feeling better. He was most definitely compassionate towards her cause and that little boost helped her get control of her emotions. Cheered up a bit she ventured, "Sesshomaru…?"

When Sesshomaru was suddenly thrust back into control by his beast he was furious. He had broken all because of a tear.

Pushing her away, he heard the thud of her back hitting the door, before apologizing and making his way back to his seat.

In that time Kagome turned and hastily made her way out of his office.

Letting his head fall back, Sesshomaru sighed. He couldn't take much more of this.

Later that afternoon, Mr. Nara strolled out of the elevator, a full 45 minutes early for his appointment.

"Good afternoon Nara-sama," Surprised he was here so soon. "I thought I confirmed with your office that your appointment was with Inuyasha-sama and that it wasn't until 3…" she trailed.

"All the better to chat with you my dear." He smiled, settling himself down on the reception couch across from her.

They chatted companionably about the weather and the season for a while before Mr. Nara brought it up.

"Kagome-san, is there something the matter? Ahh…Didn't you have your presentation today?"

Mr. Nara was too perceptive for his own good, she grimly concluded before agreeing, "Yes," with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"He didn't go for it," he observed, letting his voice drop lower to somewhat preserve her dignity before Sesshomaru and express his own sympathy.

Shaking her head in response, he smiled sadly, "I'm sorry Kagome. I know as a hanyou I would have appreciated such an initiative. You have some very good concrete ideas for how we can improve things." As if realizing something for the first time, he wondered aloud, "Why are you a secretary, Kagome? Do you want more."

Kagome pondered the question. She had hoped that like her grandfather she might be able to affect change within the company. Her grandfather had championed the orphans and changed the way demons and reiki were taught about the wars. They originally were not taught anything about them, aside from what their parents said. But after a few years in Sesshomaru's employ he decided things needed to change and was successful in implementing the pact educational program that insisted children of pact members were to be taught about the pact when their powers manifested.

She wanted to do that, change the world for the better through her connection with the company but after this latest rebuke she didn't feel she was as valued as her grandfather. Nor as effective given that under her watch Sesshomaru had been forced to give up his public dealings and his numbers were a source of private humiliation for the both of them.

Part of her wanted to stick it out. He might come around. He might warm up to her again, and be able to take on clients and she might win back his trust.

But so much more of her was exhausted. She was tired of feeling this way, that she was doing nothing right. She hated that his disdain for her had been etching deeper and deeper into his gaze whenever he looked upon her. She longed to feel good about what she did for a living, and make a difference, but mostly she wanted to be able to go to work, have a good day and go home. Was that so much to ask?

In response she quietly answered, "Yes, I want more."


	24. The End

Two weeks later at a minute after six, Kagome knocked on Sesshomaru's office door.

With a low and even "Enter," Kagome opened the door and strode in.

The sun was setting behind Sesshomaru as she announced, "Sesshomaru-sama, I am herewith handing in my two weeks' notice." She stated before walking forward and placing the crisp white envelope on the edge of his desk.

The pink of the sunset made his features look even more ethereal, but the figure in the giant chair behind the desk remained silent.

Kagome suppressed all her nervousness to get through her speech. "I have decided I can't work here anymore. Our numbers are terrible when you are working at your desired pace and you clearly need a better pact partner who doesn't make you so angry all the time."

To say she was disappointed in herself for doing this was an understatement. She was letting down her boss, her grandfather, and their family legacy. But, she rationalized, she had done everything in her power to ensure she worked well with her boss. She had taken up his crazy hours and pace, suffered private humiliation and frustration at their numbers, and suffered the attack of her dearest pet project.

But Kagome had waited it out as long as she possibly could. For the last week and a half, he had avoided her entirely, refused to leave his office while she was there and shunned all invitations from others for outings. There hadn't been an incident, but to make that happen he had become a hermit and she knew she was the reason.

The night before, prior to drafting her letter of resignation, Kagome had done some very deep soul searching, trying desperately to figure out why this was happening and if she could avoid passing him a letter of resignation the next day. Over the course of several hours staring at the ceiling and her computer screen, she had considered some crazy possibilities.

Kagome wasn't stupid. She knew full well she was the core reason for why their numbers were terrible. The pattern was too telling. It wasn't until she took the job that his beast started showing with this kind of frequency. And this pattern exacerbated over time. At the moment, she knew Sesshomaru to be completely erratic and no longer able to control anything and it was all because of her.

The most obvious conclusion was that he loathed her. But the memory of the tender caresses of his beast resurfaced in her memory and she was forced after hours of denial to consider that he wanted her.

Her grandfather had once explained the existence of the beast to her. It was an entity exclusive to sentient youkai that directed the youkai in their instincts. It functioned like a human's Freudian ID, but it was much closer to the surface, could take over the body and had more bestial desires. While the reiki world understood youkai interacted with their beasts on some level and could converse internally no one other than those in possession of a beast would ever really know the experience.

Thus, she came to a conclusion. His instincts wanted her. Though the signs had been there for months, she had tried not to see it. Now that she was faced with the truth, she had nowhere to hide. A part of Sesshomaru wanted her.

She would be lying is she said she weren't also interested somewhat. He was wealthy, powerful, intelligent, and charming everything possible one could fight to be in this world he was. He was also incredibly strong and attractive and she's had more than one instance where she had fantasized briefly…

The issue was part of him wanted her, but his rational side did not. The one she would want affection from on a daily basis, the one who would kiss her softly, enjoy dinner with, go out with, snuggle in with and spend most of her life with was the one who wanted nothing to do with her. Whenever he regained himself, he shoved her away, was mad that the beast had emerged, and lately been mean to her.

If both parts of him wanted her, she wouldn't have such an issue, but his rational side won the day, so she decided to keep this rational.

"I'm concerned if we continue on like this, though Inuyasha-sama has taken to the public side of the business well, eventually someone will question why you no longer take meetings. I can't let that happen because of me."

Taking a deep breath, she continued with a smile.

"I've already been offered a new position with Mr. Nara's company." At this. The figure in the chair shifted.

"I have been offered a position with greater responsibilities, and I'm going to take it. I have already reached out to the pact organization and informed them of my decision. They have promised to send over CVs of likely replacements early next week and I will be here for two weeks to train your new partner.

"I know that you and Grandpa won't approve, but I need to be able to go to work and feel I am doing something right again. I am sorry for the inconvenience but will do whatever I can to ensure the transition is smooth as possible.

"In light of the circumstances, I will be leaving for the day effective now. Goodnight Sesshomaru-sama." She finished with a deep bow before turning for the door.

She stopped in her tracks at Sesshomaru's feral growl but rather than turning back or responding to the beast, she headed for the door.

Once again, Sesshomaru stopped her, his arm on the door. Kagome turned, and looked up at her boss.

His face as always was a stoic mask, but Kagome placed her hand upon the arm keeping the door in place and with a wan smile gently extended her powers to bring him back to himself. After a moment of rumbling growls, all noise subsided and Sesshomaru's eyes once again resumed their golden hue. Quickly straightening, he released the door and turned, heading for his desk.

Kagome exited without a sound as Sesshomaru returned to his stoic position behind his desk.


	25. A Fresh Start

Bright and early, Kagome was leaving her apartment for work. Correction: her new work. When she got to the metro station she had to mentally check herself. Her instinct was to go to the station nearest Taisho Inc. but today she would be starting work ten blocks away at Kumo Corp.

So with her box of personal effects in tow, she got off the train two stops later and slogged her way out of the station.

This would be great, she had decided. Sure she only really knew Mr. Nara and his irresponsible secretary, but she had never been shy when it came to making friends. Before long she would have people to talk to again. This would be a new chapter in her career, hell her life, and she was excited to get going.

Since she had announced her departure from Taisho Inc. her grandfather had called her repeatedly and even shown up at her home, begging her to reconsider.

 _"_ _Kagome. You need to go back to Taisho Inc."_

 _"_ _Gramps," she had whined, exhausted with this conversation sitting in her kitchen over tea. "I sorry, I can't work there anymore. It's not a good environment. He's getting mean. Not just sullen, not just demanding and not just temperamental; out and out mean."_

 _"_ _I know Kagome, but there is more going on than you know. Let me reach out to Sesshomaru and see if he can put you in another department."_

 _"_ _Gramps, this is a better opportunity!" She exclaimed, aghast that this needed to be said more than 20 times. "Sesshomaru would never put me in such a position, even if you asked him. This is my chance to not just be a secretary. I can make a difference and I don't have to go home exhausted or feeling terrible."_

 _Her grandfather was clearly upset, judging by the pained expression on his face and the fact his tea was growing cold before him, but he persisted. "I know Kagome, I'm so sorry this has fallen to you, but you need to go back to Taisho Inc."_

 _Turning to face him directly, she insisted, "I can't."_

 _"_ _Please don't take that job, Kagome. There is something not right about Nara that everyone has noticed."_

 _"_ _Oh, is it the fact that he's nice? That he listens or seems to care about the happiness of friends and employees? That he wants to give me a better job?"_

 _"_ _I understand Kagome, but think for a moment; why does he want to give you a better job?"_

 _After a sullen pause, "Now you are just being mean,"_

 _"_ _That's not what I-"_

 _"_ _I know I'm not perfect, but I have good ideas too, and despite what everyone thinks about me I am capable, I can do a good job at work – at the right place."_

 _"_ _No one is saying you couldn't dear, just think for a moment about his motives."_

 _"_ _His motive was to give me, a hard working good person, a better opportunity where I can shine and make his company better."_

 _"_ _Kagome, you have no idea…"_

 _"_ _No Gramps, I know more than you think," she responded with a knowing smile, "I've been the recipient of Sesshomaru's frustrations every day for the last few months. His numbers are still terrible, he's still mean and he still can't take clients without attacking them. He's been shutting himself up in his office and he's downright lost it. No matter what is going on in his head, we are no good for each other. Now grandpa, if you love me at all, you will leave now. You've been really very rude tonight and I need to get up early to break in my replacement."_

Since their last conversation she had cut him off. The last things she needed was him whispering messages of doom and gloom in her ear on her first day of work. Sadly for her, several others also voiced their concerns.

 _Where's there's smoke there's fire_ , she thought, before shaking her head, entering the lobby of the Kumo corp. building and heading for the elevator. Mr. Nara's business owned the top six floors and he had insisted that she have an office on the top floor next to his. With healthy quantities of trepidation and excitement be she hit the button for the top floor and headed up with several others.

In light of her friends and family all trying to dissuade her from the opportunity she had cut them off. She would no longer listen to the naysayers and had ceased taking calls from her mother, grandfather, Miroku, and even Inuyasha. Had Inutaisho or Izayoi called she probably would have ignored the call. Had Sesshomaru called…

He never would.

Once the elevator let off the last passengers, she was alone in the elevator for a few floors and took that time to centre herself. This was a great opportunity that she would never get elsewhere. She didn't have a community behind her at the moment, but she would find one here. She would make a difference in his business and improve Kumo Corp. She would be a big hitter and this was the first big step toward doing so.

The door dinged open and Mr. Nara was already standing by the elevator, waiting to greet her with a smile.

A few weeks later and Kagome was loving her life. She had already spearheaded several major initiatives to improve the company's profile and saw to it that they made some very generous contributions towards Pact charities.

As she predicted, Mr. Nara was a lovely employer. He had given her a beautiful office with a view right next to his, a great health supplement package and a real say in the company.

He had even arranged for her to have daily meetings with him, whether he was in the office or not which led her to the conclusion that while he was a great boss, he was a real taskmaster. He had high demands for her, but she took to the position with gusto and thus far had completed (and well, or so he said) every one of his requests. And there had been a lot in her few short weeks.

But she loved it. The work was great and though more challenging she couldn't be happier. The best part was that though she was his designated holy person, he had never had an episode. Not once.

When she hadn't believed him, he set up a lunch date for her and his former miko partner.

Kikyo had been very sombre and elegant when they met for coffee on her second day, but assured her in her raspy voice that in all the years she had been Nara's miko she had never filled out an incident report.

Not. Once.

Eager at the thought that she may never have an incident report nightmare (where they all floated around her head and taunted her) again, Kagome was cautiously optimistic. To be sure, there had to be some demons and hanyou who didn't lose control as easily as Sesshomaru, but to never lose control? She hardly thought that was possible.

But here she was, two weeks in and no incidents.

Returning from her coffee meeting with a charity contact, she went by and knocked on Mr. Nara's office door. His secretary Kagura, who she still thought was incredibly blasé, was out, but he had asked for a report after the meeting so she would indulge.

Before long, the door opened on a beaming Mr. Nara. "Kagome! How did it go?"

"Really well. The organization is really excited at our contribution goals or their next benefit dinner. I think we might even be getting a plaque at their headquarters…"

"Fantastic! Fantastic! Come on in! I want to hear everything," At this he swung open the door, bowed slightly and waited her to enter his office.

Though Mr. Nara was lovely there was one thing she did not like about the man. The décor of his office. It wasn't just an aesthetics thing, it was a personal preference thing.

The room was painted a nice enough off-white colour, made use of long lines and geometric shapes, and was always well lit, but the décor that hung on the walls disturbed her. Instead of having bookshelves or paintings, he collected shadowboxes and put them on display. Ranging from tiny to the size of your face, there were specimens laid out in frames of every insect she had ever seen, and many she hadn't.

Striding into the room, she resolutely avoided looking at the pitiful creatures skewered in their cases on the walls and sat down in her usual seat in the more comfortable chatting area, waiting for him to sit before she explained what else the meeting had achieved.

"I must say Kagome, you are doing some very nice work." He praised, after she had caught him up, "I have heard only good things about my company in the press, and that is because of you."

"It's not me, Mr. Nara, it's the time you're willing to invest in the public image of your company. Really, I'm just the mouthpiece."

"You flatter me, my dear." He said with a gentle smile. Getting up, he stretched before asking, "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please, Mr. Nara." She eagerly responded getting up and following him down the hall to the mini kitchen on their floor.

"Do you have a new variety?" She asked as he went to the cupboard. Ever since she had started working for him, Mr. Nara had brought in new varieties of Japanese green tea from all over for them to enjoy. He was one of the few she was ever able to find that was as interested in trying all the green teas their country had to offer.

"Do I ever!" He gleefully responded, "This," he said as he filled the kettle with boiling water, "is a green I found a while ago from north of Kyoto. The plantation this came from is the same one the Emperors of the Kyoto got their teas from."

Taking her usual position, Kagome brewed the tea in silence, enjoying the moment of calm.

Once the tea was brewed, she handed Mr. Nara his cup, before breathing in the aroma above hers and sighing. It was delightful.

Taking a sip, her mid strayed from the moment to Sesshomaru. While she had been his secretary she had brought all kinds of green teas in and while at no point did he compliment or ask for the same tea again, she wondered if he, with his superior senses even noticed the different varieties.

She didn't think of him often anymore, however in these tranquil moments with Mr. Nara and little else to bother her, her mind strayed to the enigma that was Sesshomaru, often leaving her slightly sad. Sure her new job was great and she was really enjoying working here under Nara, but a part of her felt… off. Without her friends by her side life outside work wasn't as much fun and though she knew what Sesshomaru thought of her, she could now admit to herself in retrospect she had been drawn to his imposing figure and would have liked to see where it could have gone.

If he had reciprocated, but she knew he didn't like her, or more specifically he didn't want to like her. Which seemed a lot stronger.

Breathing deeply with her eyes closed before her last sip, Kagome was unaware of Nara's keen eyes on her.


	26. Ten Blocks Away

Ten blocks away, Sesshomaru was in hell.

He thought if he let the miko go things would get better, that he would be able to pick up meetings again and resume his regular duties. This was not the case. Things had steadily gotten worse.

His beast was incensed that he had allowed her to leave, interpreting her flight as leading a chase, and though Sesshomaru had tried innumerable times to explain what was happening, he still insisted on giving chase whenever possible.

From the first break things were serious.

The beast had been whispering in his head all morning the first day of work after she left. Sesshomaru had decided to start small with a reliable human business partner in his 60s. Everything went perfectly but near the end when they had just finished talking about Mitsuhara Company and its next quarter projections, the little old fool slipped into the conversation that he hadn't seen Kagome when he came in.

He knew that the man was being polite. He knew the man held no desire for her as he had seen him in the past interact with his secretary in a very friendly way and he knew there was nothing going on behind the statement, but at the mere mention of Kagome the beast broke out.

Taking control of Sesshomaru in record time, the beast headed for the door, intent on finding his mate and bringing her to their den where they would be safe and together. Whipping open the door he saw his secretary begin to rise from his seat, having noticed the red light snap on.

Knowing the monk meant to keep him from his mate, Sesshomaru sent a blast of youki at him that sent him to the floor and headed for the stairs. Before he could make it to the door, a feral Sesshomaru collided into the hastily erected barrier made by the monk with a grunt.

The beast howled in anger and tried to fight his way through the pain of the reiki encasing him, knowing the monk holding him was much weaker than his intended.

 _His intended, Kagome. He needed to go to her side. He needed to find her and bring her home. He needed to sire their children and keep them all safe. This could not be done in the barrier…_ he decided.

After many endless burning moments spent fighting the reiki surrounding him, right when the barrier seemed as if it was about to succumb, he felt the arrival of another.

 _Miroku_ , the beast recognized. As the pact partner of his brother and the cousin to his Kagome he was part of his pack. While he was not as strong as Kagome, he was more formidable than the monk struggling to maintain a barrier around him.

Miroku approached the barrier, armed with sutras and praying. Hearing the soft tones of Miroku and feeling pack in the form of Miroku and Inuyasha, who had arrived with the monk, he felt the fight drain out of him. With the calming of his frantic beast, the rational Sesshomaru resurfaced quickly. Eagerly, the new monk released the barrier and fell to the floor.

Trying his best to maintain a stony face, Sesshomaru ordered Miroku to repair his client and Inuyasha to call a reiki healer to see to the monk and allow them to transport him to the hospital or home if either was needed. Before he disappeared back into his office, he shot out over his shoulder for Miroku and Inuyasha to join him in his office once his orders were completed.

Departing Sesshomaru's office together, Inuyasha and Miroku were equally stunned as they headed back to their office.

Correction, Inuyasha and Hojo's office for the foreseeable future, as Sesshomaru had just ordered Miroku to guard him while the new monk, (Hojo, was it?) would guard Inuyasha. When Inuyasha had attempted to ask a question, Sesshomaru had rushed at him, snarled, and pulled rank, forcing his brother to expose his neck and fall in line.

In the elevator on their way down to their office Miroku looked askance at Inuyasha who appeared deep in thought.

Miroku was confident he would be able to help Sesshomaru better than Hojo. He knew him better and the pack dynamic Inuyasha had explained to him seemed to work in his favour plus he was more familiar with the business and the big players. However, if Inuyasha was to continue to take on meetings, he would need someone more competent than Hojo to take over support duties. Perhaps he could get Kaede…

*BANG*

Having entered Inuyasha's office the hanyou had let loose on the speedbag installed for the moments when the hanyou was restless. Unfortunately due to Inuyasha's level of anger, the demon-made boxing tool had not stood up to the guarantee and the level of anger took the damn bag off the chain and sent it directly into his filing cabinet.

Miroku waited patiently for his friend to say something. It wouldn't be long…

"That fucking IDIOT! How can he be so fucking dumb about this?'

"I'm sure Hojo will catch on but I was just thinking of asking Kaede to step in…"

"I don't give a fuck about that," Inuyasha said, pushing away an imaginary problem, "It's Kagome."

"Ahh."

"He needs her. She's the one his beast is trying to get to. If Lord-head-up-his-ass doesn't figure out the simple solution…"

Sighing in defeat, he slumped into his chair as if beaten. In a way, Miroku reflected, he had been beaten. His brother not only brought him to heel a few minutes before, but was also blithely insulting his brother's human parentage by shunning Kagome.

"This is true," Miroku began, trying to inject some calm to the situation, "but we do not know the responsibilities of a demon lord and the very heavy burden he has to bear."

"Keh. Fuck that. He's the strongest demon in existence, why should he care what the others think of his mate?"

"Kagome-chan is a human. It's understandable that he feels he can't have her seeing as their children would be weaker than him."

At this, Inuyasha stood up, "Am I that much weaker? Besides, this is Kagome we're talking about, she's plenty strong enough in her own right." Deflating, with the assistance of his friends soothing reiki influence in the room, Inuyasha sat back down.

"I wish the fucker hadn't commanded me not to talk to pops, he would know what to do." Inuyasha groused.

Inutaisho was indeed the wisest person in the pack, but Miroku questioned how much sway he would have over his eldest son. Sesshomaru was the alpha and while he listened to advice that contradicted his opinion, the decisions he made were his own.

"How's Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"I wouldn't know. She refuses to speak to me." Miroku responded, in a sombre tone. Kagome had said her last words to him on her last day at work. He had tried to contact her over the weekend, but considering his cousin's usually bubbly and responsive behaviour, silence from her end was an obvious snub.

"Keh, the wench shouldn't be there. She should be here, calming down the asshole and ideally mating and making hanyou children. What If I were to call her? Would she talk to me?" He asked, genuinely curious if that would help.

"I doubt it. She's cut off all contact with me, Gramps, her mother and even Sango."

"Fuck." He muttered before rubbing his face. "So lord-stick-up-his-ass will need to make the first move."

"It seems that way." Miroku agreed. "Though I doubt he will make an overture given his determination not to."

"Geeze. There's no helping it, is there?"

At a loss for what to say, Miroku headed for the store room to grab a box.

Sesshomaru sat at his desk with his head in his hands. He had fallen low this day.

The beast got the better of him, one day without her. The fucking hanyou and monk saw him lose control and injure his new monk and worst of all they knew why it happened.

What a mess.

At least he'd had the presence of mind to forbid either from informing their father. That was the last thing he needed.

His damn sire already knew too much and the last time they had spoken he had suggested an omiai. In his ridiculously cheery voice, his father had suggested he would fix Sesshomaru up on some suitable mating interviews to see if any 'clicked'. Was this what he was reduced to? He growled at the memory.

How low he had fallen.

Yes, reducing his father's knowledge of what was happening was for the best.

To his great private shame, he had been forced to hire a night guard for the foreseeable future. The miko who spent her nights keeping watch outside his bedroom door was also a member of the pact organization but she was of a higher quality than the average worker. The woman was an aged miko with considerable powers and was well respected for her abilities and discretion as she was usually hired to oversee heats. Sesshomaru had made the decision to hire her after Kagome had handed in her two weeks' notice, knowing his beast understood that she was leaving him, he knew he needed better protection to ensure his beast did not go looking for the miko at night. Even more humiliating was that twice in the past few weeks the night guard had been a necessity.

In a moment of humiliation and desperation, Sesshomaru put his head in his hands. _What was he doing?_

His beast wanted her. Desperately. The need to give complete control of his body to his instincts. He could barely hold back his beast.

In this quiet moment when all seemed lost, he felt the need to admit it. He himself longed for her. He wished the world were different, wished that he didn't have the responsibilities he had, wished that he hadn't had to shove her away and deny their happiness.

The images his beast showed him of a happy home were absolute torture for him. He had longed for such a happy den for a long time and had the sneaking suspicion that Kagome was as close to his ideal mate as he would ever find. If she were a demon, he would have long ago proposed courting rituals. She was strong, capable, witty and had a body he longed to sink his length into.

Fantastic, he thought as his cock strained.

Lately his beast had been pushing constantly to get her, using whatever tactic he could think of. The two most successful and most frequent were the 'happy den' scenario and the sex angle, whispering of the delights they would only experience with her. _She will be tight, he would need to properly prepare her for his great self, but before long she would be a writing mass beneath him looking up at him with warm, desirous eyes clamouring for more, lips parted, calling his name…_

Thoughts like those his beast were currently hissing to him that were currently tenting his pants.

With a snarl, Sesshomaru grabbed the handle of the lowest drawer on his desk and pulled.

Inside he had kept a selection of objects from her desk. He had switched them out before the new monk had taken her spot and thus far they still smelled of her and had been an effective balm thus far for his beast. Fortunately her mere scent satisfied him.

Sesshomaru had to admit to himself, as he basked in her aroma and tried to eliminate his throbbing erection, he was worried. He had never experienced a need like this before and did not know how it all would end. It may very well get worse and when the objects before him lost their scent he wondered if anything would be able to calm him. _The best solution_ , his beast supplied, _was to give in and go to her_.

But he could not, he resolved, taking a deep breath of her scent and calming himself. He would never want to watch her go through what Izayoi or others of her predicament experienced. He would never wish the ill fate of Inuyasha on his children.

He would work his way through this, he determined. He was master of himself and he would not give in. He would one day forget about her. He would overcome the lure of Kagome, the miko and move on with his life, allowing her to die from her mortal lifespan. This he told himself over and over even though the mantra seeped all the colour seeping from his life.

Before his beast retreated fully, he gave Sesshomaru one last view of his happy den, with several of their beautiful children and allowed them to fade into nothing. Leaving him all alone.


	27. Rift

A knock sounded from her door and Kagome tore her attention away from her monitor to find Mr. Nara just returned from his outside meeting.

"Good afternoon, Nara-sama," she greeted her employer as he leaned on her doorframe.

"Is now a good time, Kagome?"

"Now works for me!"

As he entered he once again gently chided her, "Kagome, I've told you Nara-san would do, since you refuse to use my given name."

Kagome grimaced at this. The name he had tried to get her to call him by just seemed… wrong. Naraku had several different meanings, but as she had been raised a miko she felt particular aversion to the one name that stood out: hell.

Kagome invited him to sit on the plush chair he had personally ordered for her office, which he now gracefully did.

"Did you have a good meeting?"

"Yes, very productive," he affirmed. "A big project is about to take shape."

"Oh? Anything you need me for?"

"Sorry Kagome, the terms of the contract are not hammered out yet. Until the terms of acquisition are complete, we will bring you in on it, just right now it's quite sensitive."

"Sounds like a big deal." She responded, unsure of what else she could say.

"I hope you feel free to include me whenever you can. I would very much like to be an asset to this company."

"I assure you Kagome, you most definitely are." He praised. "Your work has been exemplary and you've been able to do so much to improve not only the general atmosphere around here, but have also been generating good and hopeful press for us. I've seen a distinct uptake in other companies' interest in us lately and I lay the commendation entirely on your shoulders."

Kagome smiled at this. THIS was the kind of place she wanted to be. Making discernable differences to a business, being praised for her work and feeling like part of the team (even if her work kept her so busy that she rarely got to see the team). She was truly content.

"Again, it's not hard to do when it feels like your budget has no limit."

"It is my personal philosophy that the public appearance of a company is the most important facet and that no expense is to be spared to improve it. To celebrate this newest potential acquisition, I've brought you a new tea."

"Ehh?" she intoned, excited for a new flavour. "Is this also from your farm?"

Pulling it out of the small bag at his side, "It is indeed, I've been meaning to invite you sometime. It's not very grand but the techniques for gathering and processing are older than Japan itself."

"Well, you know me, I would love to see where your fine teas originate." She said, standing to follow him to the kitchenette. "I've always been well acquainted with the brewing process, but never with the flip side."

"Perhaps we should arrange a company retreat?"

"I don't know, is your farmhouse big enough to accommodate all 200 employees?"

"I think it should be sufficient. I could make up the rest of the space by renting out the local hotels..." They spoke companionably while the water heated, discussing the possibility of company retreats to different places and joining different business conferences to enhance their employees skills and to make them feel more valuable.

Once the tea was brewed, they sat down in their seats and appreciating the aroma began to drink.

Breathing in the calm atmosphere, Kagome remarked, "This tea is especially warming, Nara-san."

"I agree, they've outdone themselves this time. But Kagome, I've noticed that while you've been acclimating yourself well to our offices and seem to be enjoying your position, you don't appear entirely happy."

Surprised she cocked her head in surprise, with a short smirk, "You picked up on that, did you?"

"It's hard not to notice when you watch closely. You don't appear terribly at ease. I want you to know that if you require a sounding board, I am here for you."

"Thank you Nara-san. It's just… when I left Taisho Inc. I really upset my grandfather. He's very dedicated to the Taisho Company, he worked there for more than 45 years, you know."

"I have heard, he was very dedicated." Falling silent he mutely encouraged her to continue.

"Well, he seemed to think my taking your offer was a bad move. He just didn't understand my need to leave the Taisho offices," she said, blinking to clear tears forming, or was she growing tired.

"That's a shame. Many throw away their ambition for the sake of honour. I operate the opposite way."

"Careful with that," she said with a gently mocking tone as she gently rubbed her forehead, "you don't want your business partners to hear such controversial talk."

"As expected from my head of PR." He replied, smirking. Redirecting the conversation he asked, "Is the rift healable?"

Brushing off a bit of dizziness Kagome replied, "I'm not sure at this point. I haven't spoken with him since I started as all he ever said was that I was making a huge mistake."

"He may have been right," Nara jokingly suggested with an ill-disguised smirk. "What of the others? Your friends and family? Are they convinced of the same?"

At this point Kagome was convinced she was developing a headache, but answered his question the same, hoping the tea would serve to revive her. "They say the same thing. Until they learn to see it from my position, I can't really speak to them. I'm sorry Nara-san, I'm…"

"No Kagome-san, I'm glad you feel that way. It makes this next part much easier." Articulating his last statement by putting down a full tea cup.

Kagome's vision was blurring and as she blearily blinked at her employer, slowly folding herself over her desk no longer able to hold herself upright. Confused at so much, the last thing she remembered before she lost consciousness was the distinctly frightening smile on Nara's face.


	28. Hell

Waking up the first thing she noticed was the pounding headache. The second thing she recognized was that fact that she was freezing and on solid cement.

What had happened?

Opening her eyes, she instantly knew she had never been here before. The rafters above her were of an ancient dark wood, burnished by the many years they had stood in service of the structure. Glancing around she noticed she was in a storeroom of some sort. Inside there were a great number of soil bags, baskets for harvesting and other supplies. How the hell did she end up here?

Fighting the pain in her head she struggled to remember. The last thing… she was having a hard time coming up with it. Raising her hands to grasp her pounding head, Kagome heard a soft clacking and looked down to a necklace that had been placed on her. Slowly reaching for it, her finger ignited a red shock of power that repelled her hand.

 _A kodama? What was going ON?_

She sat there, gradually recovering from the drug that had laid her low, gradually reconstructing her memories, praying that what she though had happened hadn't truly. Her powers had been sealed, and quite thoroughly so. Whatever kodama this was, was of the most serious caliber, as she could not even sense her powers inside her, it was likely the creation of a dark miko. Panic began to overwhelm her and she had to fight to regulate her breathing.

Dark mikos were rogues, known in their world for being very few, very reclusive and more akin to witches of European infamy. They lived long owing to their unholy perversion of their powers and most often fell into performing the bidding of fringe groups intent on destroying the pact. But there were so few left that she never imagined…

Standing up slowly, still suffering from dizziness, she walked around the room, she tried to find an exit, or some sort of exploitable hole that would enable her to leave and get help.

Searching in vain, the barn was without windows and the only door was entirely mechanical with a solid lock embedded in the metal.

Returning to her search for any other possibly helpful tool, she found nothing of interest and was about to give up on her search and ponder another solution or a panic attack when she heard several muffled beeps and the swinging of a hinge, before she heard the slam of a door. The same process was being done to the door in front of her before the beeping stopped and the portal was opened.

Staring at the door with no small amounts of trepidation, she backed up slowly as she watched the door swing in to admit Nara-san to the room, who firmly closed the door behind him.

Fortunately he started the conversation, because at this point she was certain she would only be manageable of unintelligible noises.

"Kagome-san, welcome to my farm. I'm sure you're surprised to be here so soon, but I decided to acquire something I wanted."

Finally gathering her thoughts, she asked, "What are you talking about? What's going on?"

"Now, now Kagome, all in good time." He said, pulling a pair of folding chairs from the corner and setting them up, one across from the other. Setting himself in the one by the door, Nara gestured for her to sit across from him, but Kagome stolidly refused.

Continuing on as if he expected this rebuke, he instead propped his feet on her chair and got to the point. "You are here because I want what you have."

"What – What I have?" She asked completely befuddled.

"This whole process would be so much easier if you just tell me where it is." Nara said, unamused by her confused expression.

"Where is what?!" she growled back.

Looking only mildly disappointed, Nara replied, "Not the answer I was looking for." He then stood and headed for the door.

In a brief moment of relief, Kagome hoped he was about to leave or at least open the door enough that she might be able to rush past him. She was already mentally preparing when he merely knocked on the door and the beeping began anew from the other side. Clearly there was someone else here.

Perhaps they could be reasoned with…

But all hope was dashed when the door swung open again for the hulking demon before he closed it behind him. It took her all of five seconds to identify him as the one who attacked her in front of the Yo Ray a few months ago.

Eyes widening in fear, Kagome, now without the defense of her powers backed behind a stack of fertilizer, keeping nothing between them but shit.

Gods.

The bastard clearly recognized her as he had an aware smirk on his face but instead of coming at her again, he stood guard by the door, awaiting further instruction from his boss.

"As you can see I have some help should I need it. Tell me where it is, and I will not send Ken here to force the issue."

"For the last time, I don't know what you are talking about."

"Ken." He ordered. Ken moved from his position towards her. As he stalked her around the columns of soil she screamed.

"I don't know what you are talking about! What do you want?"

Ken grabbed her arm and pulled her forcibly closer with demon strength before wrapping his arms around her waist in a cruel repetition of his earlier attack. He lifted her then, and carried her over to Naraku.

She had decided he had earned the title she refused to use earlier. Naraku was smiling at her, watching her struggle. When Ken and Kagome were before Naraku, She was set down on her feet, and despite her best attempt to lash out with her legs their demon strength meant they barely moved.

"As you are either unable to give up the location or unwilling, we are going to have to do this the hard way. Fortunately for you, I enjoy the hard way."

What was he talking about?

Before her eyes, Naraku raised his hand to her questioning, pained look and with some concentration he formed a stick of some sort. Pointing directly at her as it formed, it was hard for her to tell what was happening, but as he extracted it from the palm of his hand she could see it was roughly as long as her forearm, was incredibly sharp at the end, but was the thickness of a pencil.

"Ken, her left arm, if you please," Naraku instructed. Ken released one arm from around her waist and prised her right arm from her side. And held it out to the side. Despite this altered grip Kagome found she could not so much as budge the body parts in Ken's grip. Even so she tried and struggled in his hold, trying to get away, knowing that the pin before her meant nothing good.

But Naraku had plans for her, plans that were not helped by her struggles. With a quick backhand to the face, Kagome's head snapped to the side. In that moment she saw spots and blackness and swore he almost broke her neck.

Panting in pain and frustration, Kagome refocused on Naraku, who now had a gleam in his eyes. Slowly, he tapped the pin against her skin, considering…

"From what I know of it, it should roughly be the size of your wrist bone. I imagine it is not in there. Sliding the needle up her arm, leaving scratch marks and occasionally drawing a line of blood in it's wake, he used his other hand to sharply squeeze the thicker parts of her arm. Once he passed her elbow, he stopped dragging the pin, infused the pin with his youki and plunged it through her arm.

Kagome screamed.

Unable to think unable to move, the youki in the pin reacted against her reiki, but because she could not summon it or convince it to assist her, she turned away in agony.

It felt like she was on fire. Slowly, Naraku extracted it from her arm and inspected the wound with interest.

With a light tone, he observed, "Ahh… as expected, your reiki cannot defend you with this special kodama." Yet even as he spoke her powers returned to the area and started sluggishly working to heal the hole that went clean through her arm. Something was wrong though. It was as if her powers were cut in half, or confused in some way for while they were working, the bleeding continued and there was no soothing warmth to reduce the pain.

"Fufufu," the demon chuckled, "It looks like your powers aren't even healing you properly," He remarked as he hoisted her arm up to inspect the puncture wound on the far side of her arm, now the source of a current of blood. "Fortunately we have all the time in the world, what with you being estranged from everyone. No one will go looking for a while, so we can do this in slow and gradual stages." As if to illustrate his patience and perseverance, he moved the pin a few centimetres further up her arm and ever so slowly pushed it through skin and muscle until she had another hole coming out the other side.

Kagome was struck dumb then. She was choking with the pain this time, the first hole hurt but the second one even more.

And Gods, he was right. She had alienated everyone. She hadn't had time to make new connections. She hadn't been able to see the danger and now it was upon her like a horrifying nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

Cruellest of all, now she was the victim and because of how determined she had been to avoid this very situation she had unknowingly inserted herself into it and had no one in her corner for her pains.

 _I'm going to die here._ She lethargically thought as Naraku gradually inserted the needle to a third and fourth spot on her upper arm, spacing out his insertions evenly as the blood raced down her arm onto the floor below.

He was talking to her, she mildly recognized. Deciding after a few moments to listen in, she picked up some horrifying details she would rather not have heard.

"I went to all this trouble to learn anatomy and it's going to serve me well. With my knowledge of the human system, I will not only be able to avoid killing you, and avoid the skeleton, but will be able to avoid permanent damage until I find it… or I'm ready." He punctuated with a seventh insertion to her shoulder. "Clearly the brain will have to wait, but I imagine it won't be there. You seem to have all your faculties, so it is unlikely to be up there. But when it comes to the heart, lungs and other organs, I will leave them to second-to last, as it will almost definitely cause lasting damage."

Whimpering as he plunged the red hot needle through her shoulder again, gritting her teeth against the pain, Naraku noticed and crossed the room to the table against the wall, grabbed a spade and crossed back to Kagome.

"Kagome-chan," he said, as if about to offer her a cup of warm tea, "this next one is really going to hurt." He then wedged the handle of the spade into her mouth between her teeth. Turning his attention back to her shoulder, he pushed the needle through the flesh of her shoulder and once through to her shoulder blade, just when Kagome thought she could take no more, he twisted the needle, ripping open the muscle in her shoulder. Kagome threw her head back in a penultimate scream around the handle, praying to the kami for death.

No one would come for her. She would die here because of her own naïveté.

"Huh," Naraku observed, "It looks like your healing abilities are still working," he mentioned after taking stock of her wounds. The first were still raw and inflamed, but the rivulets of blood had stopped. With an enthused look he said "Let's keep going," before gesturing for Ken to switch arms.

Exhausted eyes widening in fear, she felt Ken drop her arm and trap it next to her waist with a scream, before he extracted her other arm and stretched it out for Naraku's procedures.

Once Kagome had screamed all she could, repeating the same procedure on her other arm, he seemed satisfied and abruptly ordered Ken to release her.

Falling in a heap on the floor, Kagome landed hard, but didn't seem to care.

"Well, Kagome, I think that's the most we should do for today. We'll be back tomorrow and start on your legs."

He and Ken then left the room, heading for the main house and the warmth of the fire, leaving a catatonic Kagome in a heap on the floor. So dreadful was the pain that she was unable to wrap her arms around herself in an imitation of a kind hug to soothe the pain.


	29. Off

In Tokyo at the same time, Sesshomaru sat alone at his desk.

It past eleven when he would normally be at home, but he couldn't bear to leave the office.

Since his family had left and she had left his home didn't feel like it anymore. It seemed too grand for just him and the occasional visitor. He would walk by huge rooms that used to fill him with pride but now just made him feel all the more isolated. While he had his night guard, the house felt empty and the one room he thought might ease his loneliness, he refused to go into. The night guard knew too much as it was without him sniffing the pillow she once slept on.

The beast had been ferocious, breaking its restraints whenever possible, so much that his numbers had further exploded.

That evening, his secretary had to call Inuyasha and Miroku to help restrain him. His beast had been intent on tracking down Kagome and had, without cause broken free and tried to storm out of the building before his newest monk had put him in a barrier and called for backup.

This was just embarrassing. They had to file the report that said he had lost control for no reason. It was only a matter of time before there was a formal investigation. If anyone outside the pack got wind of this it would jeopardize everything he had worked so hard to protect. Everything he had sacrificed…

If this was what his life was like without the miko, he would rather work at supressing his beast with an iron grip for the next 50 years if it meant he could see her smiling face everyday.

On impulse, Sesshomaru picked up his cell phone, found Kagome's personal number and dialled.

Waiting for her to pick up he checked the clock – 11 p.m. She should be there. He would not hang up.

Unfortunately the tones ran out and the call went to her answering service.

"We're sorry, but the mailbox of the number you have dialled is full. Please try again later."

That was odd… the miko was always on top of things. He had a hard time believing that she had allowed her voicemail box to fill up. How many voicemails had to be waiting for it to fill up anyways? Something wasn't right here…

Thinking on the matter, he remembered it was possible, given that he had heard from Hideo and his father that the miko had not been answering her phone whenever someone called. They had all tried to reach her, to beg her not to leave Taisho Corp., but she had persisted.

During her last weeks, with all he was, he wanted to go to her, and for a shining simple moment not be the CEO or the Demon Lord he was. He wished he could for a moment be demonstrative and free to tell her. He wanted to be anyone else without the duties or expectations and admit not only his beast but he… He didn't truly know, but he would apologize for pushing her away and convince her to stay with him. His confusion over what he wanted and whether he could rationally have it held him back along with his fear his beast would take the opportunity to do much more than that. He couldn't allow such a lapse and thus had kept his distance, in misery.

He was still concerned, from afar, but had resolved not to interfere. He tried to not dwell either, but often had to reassure himself that she was better off where she was. Perhaps the hanyou was really just a businessman, intent on securing the best talent for his business and perhaps Kagome's skills and his optimism had persuaded him he needed her in his company. Perhaps she was going on to better things.

You fool, his beast whispered. You risk everything.

The image of his family by her in their private garden, at the dinner table, tucking their kids into bed and spending the long dark nights together with Kagome as his mate flickered through his mind again. The images had been more fleeting of late, as if each step he took to distance himself from the miko meant the less likely he was to see such a happy scene in person.

But he would not risk his people, or her life.

Deciding that the miko had opted to go her own way, he let the matter rest and stood up from his chair.

Perhaps he would spend the night driving, for he felt he could not sleep. One day soon though he would be able to go back to normal. One day he would be able to see his home as it was again and not long for her by his side. One day soon he would be able to walk into his office and not feel the stab of disappointment when all that greeted him was the meek monk behind the desk and not her smiling face. One day he would be able to remember her without thinking she was perfect for him.

That was not this day. This day he would go without sleep, wondering if he as truly doing the right thing, as a full phone rang on silent alerting no one in the corner office that the demon lord was reaching out to the miko.


	30. Prayer

The torture lasted years, or so Kagome thought. Every waking moment was spent in terror. Would he be back soon? Where would he plunge the nail next? When would it stop? And of course the critical question, what was he looking for?

In the time since she had been there she had heard no details of what it was he was after. All she knew was that it was small, he believed it was inside of her and that he wanted it badly enough to kill her. She could only imagine that someone who hired that bastard who attacked at the club, kidnapped her, and returned often to stab her with needles had bad plans for whatever he was looking for.

Looking around from her prone position on the floor, she confirmed for the umpteenth time that there were no holes in the structure. Obviously it was very old, but judging by the locks on the door, it had recently been updated with some of the most impressive technology known to man.

Without a window, it was hard telling what day it was. The only way she knew that time passed between sessions was the fact that their clothes changed.

The first day they had done both her arms. The second day they did her legs. Currently her arms were still raw and angry, she didn't want to look at her legs. Whatever he was looking for was small, and he had plunged the needle in countless times. Countless agonies and moments she wished it would all just stop. Judging from how her legs were sticking to the floor, they had bled a lot and though her miko powers were sluggish to repair the damage, they were working.

Today, he had promised before he left, would be the day he 'checked' her intestines, unless she gave up the location. With little in her after having her legs attacked she had sobbed a soft 'of what?' before he left her in the growing blood puddle, alone.

She'd had the misfortune of dreaming after her first session there. In her dream she was back at Taisho corp. in the early days there when he was still kind to her, in his way, and she was still content to work there. It was a benign dream. Miroku was talking about some account and Inuyasha had run upstairs with his sword, ready to spar. Then Sesshomaru had come out and started yelling at everybody to get back to work and then his golden eyes turned to her and smiled. Well… being a dream she knew he smiled, but she didn't strictly see it.

Then the door panel began beeping and the second day began.

Now she lay still, wondering what fresh hell he had in store for her next. Not for the first time, she wished for death. If she were to be 'examined' like this, she would rather not be here for it. Death sounded so blissful. For the pain to stop and to no longer hurt. To not feel so stupidly gullible for thinking that everything was fine and that she made the right choice. To escape her pain and fears permanently…

But then whatever the bastard were searching for would be his in a wink. If her being alive for his search in any way impeded it, she would survive. Until the last she would be there.

Perhaps, should she be discovered, Sesshomaru would be proud of her and all she fought to bear. Perhaps it would make up for the fact that she hadn't been able to endure life at Taisho Corp. with her cold boss and her own growing feelings for him.

Settling on a silent prayer to the gods, she closed her eyes and silently asked for the courage to endure. She might not come through this, but at least she could be of service and do her ancestors and friends proud.

Just then, the beeping at the door began anew.


	31. Suspicion

A few days later, Sango tried calling Kagome again.

It had been 4 days since she had been able to leave a message. Something was wrong.

Heading to her friend's house, Sango knocked on the door. When no one answered she checked her mailbox. Unless Kagome had several people living with her (unlikely as it was only a 2DK) she had received a lot of mail and not picked it up.

When no one answered the door, Sango had gone into the office, letting the security guard at the front know she had left her phone at her desk.

Quickly logging in, she had checked Kagome's pact card, to see if she had swiped into a gym or pact centre. When nothing turned up, Sango began to worry. Trying her phone again, she got no answer.

She then sent a blast of mixi, facebook, texts, e-mails and whatever other social media they were connected on, to no response.

Sango gave it a full hour and a half, sitting at her desk in terror, before she called Miroku.

"Sango, my love, wonderful to hear from you."

"Can it monk, something's wrong. I can't get a hold of Kagome."

With a sigh, Miroku admitted he too hadn't heard from her in days.

"No, Miroku, this isn't like that. Even though she hasn't been speaking to family, she's been talking to me. At least… she was. She hasn't called me back since Tuesday and her voicemail box is full. She isn't answering any of my messages, her mail has piled up at her house and she hasn't used her pact card since Monday..."

Sango heard her boyfriend sit up, "Are you sure? Maybe her new boss has taken her to a conference or to an overseas business meeting."

"I don't think so," Sango responded. "I mean, it's possible, but she would have told me. Even if she forgot… it doesn't feel like that. Something feels off. Can you reach out to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru? I'm hoping they might have more contacts that could help. I know it strictly isn't their business anymore, but I'm worried," She sobbed then into the phone, finally letting out her fears for her friend.

They had all urged her not to go to this new company, and when things seemed to be working out they had persisted in advising her to come back. She too had pushed her friend, asking her to reconsider, but while Kagome had been upset with Sango along with the others, she had always taken Sango's calls.

Miroku called Inuyasha then, patching him through to a threeway with Sango. Sango explained the situation and the fact that she had been in contact with Kagome until four days ago whereupon he responded with, "Fuck."


	32. The Discovery

Life had decidedly gotten worse for Sesshomaru.

His beast took violently to the plan to leave the miko be. Several times the damned fool had broken out and tried to go after her, only to be restrained by his Kagome's replacement or his night guard.

Were he a lesser man, he would feel embarrassed at how little control he had or the embarrassing situations he had been in infront of his new partner.

Good thing his beast ran his life and he had no time to feel shame.

He had therefore decided to lock himself up in the manor house to meditate his beast back into a more submissive state until he regained his legendary control.

To accomplish this on Friday afternoon he informed the council of his vacation, appointing Inuyasha and his father as proxies until his return, postponed all upcoming meetings for work and informed the company to refer any questions for him to Inuyasha and Miroku.

He had then gone home, sent the staff home for an indeterminate amount of time, assuring them of their pay and position, and turned off his phone.

For the last six hours since he awoke on Saturday morning he had been unable to focus. The beast was as angry as ever and refused to back down. Each attempt he made to calm him resulted in a fight, getting him nowhere fast.

If things weren't bad enough someone was calling the landline and though the ringer was muted, he could hear it chiming downstairs.

The beast took that opportunity to flash more imagery of a wounded and dying Kagome, in need of his help but he snarled back that he was overreacting.

Though he was curious who might be calling, as he had surely redirected all outside queries to the right personnel and informed everyone of his intentions, the call was unexpected.

But this was too important to ruin now. He pushed aside the constant images and the ringing into the background and attempted to go to war again with his unruly id.

Less than an hour later, still trying to settle into a decent meditation, the front doors of the manor flung open. Growling, Sesshomaru knew his intruder had to be the hanyou and crossed to the door, planning to beat the damned idiot in the dojo, when the door to his room flung open to reveal a panting Inuyasha.

 _Something is wrong,_ his beast whispered, and he agreed.

The hanyou was still recovering his breath when he revealed, "Kagome is missing."

Suddenly his world went red.

Inuyasha had never seen his brother lose himself so fast. Though still winded from his panicked run to the manor, he managed to restrain his brother just as his eyes turned red. In this state the beast was as likely to kill him as to kiss him.

Fortunately for him his brother was preoccupied with an internal debate, the guttural vocalizations of the dog language he could just barely make out.

 _Rip, tear, rend, blood, kill_ , the demon chanted.

"NO!" He yelled. He needed control to do this.

 _Kill until we find her. Start with the monster's company. Take them all out._

"No!" He commanded again. "We need to be cautious."

 _You will do NOTHING! You HAVE done NOTHING! Our Mate is dying and you do nothing!_

Hurt that the beast was correct and had levelled fair charges, he sought to calm him.

"I have done nothing, but I will find her."

 _Why? Why should you find her? You want her to die!_

"NO! I want to bring her back."

 _Why? You will make her leave again. Rend, tear, rip, grind…_

"I won't."

 _Rip tear, kill…_

"I will bring her back safely and keep her so."

Pausing in his chant promising death to all between him and the miko, the beast seemed to consider him then. Judging his resolve to be genuine and strategy he offered to be the best chance, the beast conceded.

 _Make it so, or else._

Coming out of his internal debate with red-rimmed golden eyes, Inuyasha was still on edge when he heard the first words out his brother.

"Summon father and the honour guard. Have them all here within the hour. Bring Miroku and send factions each to her house, fathers house and her friends house."

"Sango." He proceeded down the hall towards the stairs, Inuyasha on his heels.

"Then I want the demon council alerted and once the honour guard is here have Takeshi search Nara's company holdings. Have Atsushi hunt down Nara's recent moves. Send someone to track down his secretary while I alert the pact organization. I want this kept quiet, but I want everything done quickly. How long has she been missing?"

"Sango hasn't been able to contact her since Tuesday evening, but she said the scanner showed no pact activity since Monday morning."

Sesshomaru's eyes temporarily flickered red, in which time he grabbed the newel post and crushed the decorative top, before regaining control. Resolving not to ask how this had been missed, knowing his beast would once again fight him for control, he dismissed Inuyasha to carry out his tasks.

Stalking to his study, he headed for the sword stand in the corner. He deftly pulled tenseiga along with bakusaiga off the wall and strapped each to his waist. He would not make it through the day without using Bakusaiga on someone, or so the brutal chanting in his head suggested, but he prayed he would have no need of Tenseiga.


	33. The Pact

18 years prior

The 60 year old man had been on the road for hours and with his bones not as spry as they used to be, he was already exhausted. It was past 7 on Sunday evening and he had not anticipated that taking an express train from Tokyo to Kyoto, though faster than other services was still a long trip for one his age.

After arriving in Kyoto, he hopped on a local line and made his way up to the lake retreat of the only one he could turn to.

He didn't know the demon well and he sure didn't know if this gambit would work, but he was desperate and could only think of this person as his potential saviour.

Once off at the nearest train stop, he boarded the car InuTaisho ordered for him when he heard the wizened man was coming in the late afternoon.

The drive out to the estate was long, but scenic and quiet with little to distract him but the beautiful spring colours and the gorgeous view presented by the lake as they rumbled along beside it. Curbing his love of Japanese scenery, he focussed on preparing the request he would have to make.

After the better part of an hour he was ready and the car was nearing its destination. He had only met InuTaisho a few times through his pact mate, but knowing the demon's reputation, his role in signing the pact and his desires for peace he fervently hoped he was about to ask the right person. The driver, who was demon as well, informed InuTaisho from the gate that they were there before the grand ironwork swung open to admit them to the sprawling property.

But Hideo Higurashi was not looking at the vista, but was squarely focussed on the door which had recently opened to the puzzled yet smiling demon lord now standing in the front garden of the stately Japanese-style palace.

Once stopped at the end of the lane, Mr. Higurashi made his way out of the car, bowed, and greeted "My lord Inu Taisho, I am terribly sorry for this impromptu visit. I hope I have not inconvenienced you too much." _Yet_ , he mentally supplied.

"Not at all!" boomed the great demon, gesturing him to his side, the diminutive human struggling to keep up as the Lord set a pace through the house "You have served my son well, a visit from you is welcome whenever you request it! Though I was confused as to the cause of this meeting. You said on the phone there was no catastrophe yet you asked for an immediate audience."

Nodding his head gravely, Hideo admitted, "My lord, no one is hurt, but I am in need of your council and if you would offer it, your help as well."

Still puzzled that the old monk had not asked his son for assistance, but assuaged again that nothing horrible had happened he agreed to hear him out. "Well, then, come in Hideo-san and tell me what the problem is."

Signing in gratitude, Hideo thanked his host and followed him into the house. It was a beautiful wood-construct with black supports and white walls and the floor was made of humungous pieces of lumber that ever-so gently squeaked as they walked along them. Clearly the house had been in the family for a long time if they still had nightingale floorboards.

Led into what Hideo could only assume was the lord's study they thanked the maid that followed them in with a tray of green tea at the ready. When she departed they each took a sip and Hideo began.

"First my lord, I must insist that this stay between us and for you to allow me to ensure that none eavesdrop."

Inu Taisho was about to pulse his aura to warn away outsiders when he felt Hideo erect a barrier that encapsulated the room, preventing anyone from knowing anything was amiss. No stranger to barriers, with mild surprise he observed that it was an illusory barrier – one of the hardest to forge and maintain.

"I apologize for the subterfuge, but I must ensure that stays between us." Hideo started.

"Of course," Inu Taisho responded, now slightly wary of the man's impending request. Leaning back slightly in his chair he observed the elderly monk. He had served Sesshomaru well and though they had only ever met a few times he had appeared harmless if not carefree and a little vague, but that was only his in-office persona that he had to maintain to justify the embarrassingly intimate situations he had to suddenly 'find himself in' if his son were to accidentally lose his composure.

The man sitting across from him was different. Hideo Higurashi when he was not doting on his grandchildren or playing the fool was a direct man who met his gaze boldly. The old dog was even more curious if possible about the request.

"I'm sure you heard about the loss of my son four months ago," Hideo started.

"Yes, we were all terribly sorry for your loss, Kyo was a great man and a promising monk. The northern dragons have spoken of nothing but their sorrow at losing such a capable pact keeper since." Inu Taisho relayed.

"Thank you, my lord. You may also know that my daughter-in-law, their son, and daughter were also in the car."

"Yes, we were told they miraculously were saved and no one had anything worse than a few broken bones and cuts."

"Indeed they were," Hideo agreed, "but Kagome has been feeling pains in her side lately we suspected were related to the accident."

Sighing in relief, Inutaisho beamed, "Hideo-san, you had me worried. If it is medical care we would be more than happy to see to it that she has the best medical practitioners available and we will take care of any payments required."

Shaking his head with disappointment written all over his face, Hideo dashed all hopes of a simple request. "Would that it were so simple my lord, if it were doctors and money I needed I would have asked your son who offered after the accident to help us out with any financial or medical concerns any family members had. No, this is not a simple fix." Inu Taisho's face dropped, "Then, what is it?" he asked, once again on edge.

"This afternoon Kagome went for an x-ray to see if one of her ribs, broken in the accident was causing the pain. The technician found what appeared to be a round foreign object in her side. The technician has sent in paperwork to a surgeon to have it taken out."

"That's good isn't it? If something embedded herself into her side, surgical removal would solve the problem." Taisho responded, confused again.

"My lord, the shape is too perfect and between our relation to the miko Midoriko and from what I know of the pre-pact era wars and artifacts I believe it to be the Shikon no Tama."

Silence reigned in that moment.

The shikon, a manifestation of the anger and disdain reiki and youki users held for each other in those dark days, had been missing for the last 40 years. The fairy tale said that the jewel was said to be capable of granting the wishes of whomsoever held it. In reality, from InuTaisho's firsthand experience with the gem, he knew it to be immensely powerful and if it fell into the wrong hands it would spell disaster.

In truth he appreciated the sacrifice the miko made, for born from her sacrifice and that of Takemaru and the others, the pact had been born and gave way to the peaceful age that followed. But he still missed his son everyday.

Breaking the demon lord out of his thoughts about his son, Hideo opined, "If this is the Shikon it cannot be removed from her side."

Ahh, this was why he had not gone to Sesshomaru for help. His son was still young and brash despite appearances and might not consider the situation carefully enough.

"I agree," the demon lord replied. "Were it removed now, others would discover the one in the vault was a fake our families placed there when it went missing. I would not want to have the deal with that upset, and the further chaos rehousing it would take."

He paused to double check, taking a sip of tea, and confirmed, "Furthermore, I have long believed that the jewel is sentient as it disappeared at the moment in the Second World War when our youki and reiki users were clamouring to use it to end the war. No, the jewel knows where it is needed, we will leave it to its own devices."

"Thank you my lord," Hideo responded with a bow. "The next issue is of secrecy. The ultrasound technician knows something is wrong and said he would send the files along to the surgeon on Monday. Thus I must ask you, my lord, please help us conceal this."

Without even thinking on it, Inu Taisho agreed. Takemaru would have agreed. "What do you need of me?"

On a quiet rural street outside the Tokyo suburb of Saitama, Jun Aimura, X-ray technician of Tokyo General turned off the outside light before heading up to his bedroom for the night.

Heading for the stairs he heard an almighty crash from the back room and stood frozen as the soft sounds of shoes on tatami thudded through the house. Whatever it was, was coming for him. Frozen in fear Jun didn't make a sound, but still the being came for him.

As it rounded the darkened corner Jun's eyes popped further out of their sockets. The light filtering in through from the street lamps through the thin curtains he could see the figure was a fearsome warrior. Clothed in dark and spiky armor on either side of his shoulders with swords at his belt and a scowl on his face. The being drew his sword and melodramatically pointed it directly at Jun, pronouncing a single word: "Tell me what you know, or die."

Without thinking Jun ran for the front door. Struggling to unlock it with fumbling, trembling fingers he just managed to get it open when the door flung open and threw Jun back towards his attacker.

Behind the door was another man, considerably less formidable, dressed in holy robes and holding a staff considerably larger than the little man.

"Demon!" He shouted, "I order you from this house!"

When the demon did not move, the wizened monk asked it what it had come for.

"I have come for the identity of the young miko."

Young miko, what? Jun whimpered in fear and confusion as he tried to press his body into the walls of the hallway.

Daring a glance at the man trying to order the scarier of the two out of his house, he suddenly recognized the man.

"Mr. Higurashi? What…?"

"He is looking for my granddaughter. So long as she is safe, I will keep you safe from him.""

"What?" Jun dumbly replied, but the monk was striding towards the towering figure, reciting some form of exorcism rite, "Rin pyo to sho…"

As the old man continued through the chant, the demon backed up, sheathed its sword and before the man was done the sacred words the demon had fled back through the window he had come.

Jun, still incredibly frightened and grateful to his saviour, readily agreed to all conditions set by the powerful monk, sobbing.

Hideo and Jun immediately got into Jun's car took Jun's car to Tokyo General and made their way to his office. Fortunately the night staff seemed to be having a slow shift so they bumped into no one as they made their way to the lonely little desk on the third floor. Turning on the light, Jun began sifting through envelopes and very quickly came to Kagome's. Upon confirming that the scans and the paperwork for the surgeon were all there and that there were no other files, Hideo pocketed it and together they turned off the light and headed back to the car.

Jun needed to be reassured every few minutes that he would be protected from the monster that had come for him. All he knew of the old man was that despite his age, he was a formidable ally and could easily defeat the monster trying to kill him. Hideo, all the while promising to put wards on his house to prevent the demon from coming back.

Once they made it back to Jun's house in Saitama, Hideo put up the promised charms but stopped to consider the still-quaking man for a moment. He could simply erase his memory, but that might still cause problems. What if his coworkers had seen Kagome's scan? What if there were other scans? What if they missed something? It would be best to have the man terrified of consequences and doing their bidding within the hospital to prevent others from stumbling upon their secret.

Deciding that their plan was risky, but necessary, Hideo gave a warning, "You are to never reveal that you saw my granddaughter at all, to anyone. If anything should happen to her, anything at all, I will remove all holy protections I now place on your house."

Jun nodded and agreed easily. Afterall, the demon could come back without the help of the kind old monk.

After departing the grateful and bowing man's house, the monk walked down the still quiet lane and turned the corner, spotting his comrade in subterfuge amid the lower boughs of a tree.

"Thank you Inu Taisho-sama. I did not think you needed to make use of your old armor, though I am grateful you did – that man will tell no one, for fear I will redact his protection against you."

I must say Hideo-san, this was a good plan. You managed to work within the limits of the pact without revealing our secrets, well as much as possible. Plus, it was fun."

Thank you milord. And thank you very much for your assistance. Handing the demon lord the file, he waited for the lord to take a look at the x-ray scan against the streetlight. Sure enough between her 4th and 5th rib was an orb, the same size of the debris from the power surge that had absorbed his son. The 7th rib was broken, and was rubbing against the orb. Something would have to be done to relieve the little girl of the pains.

The next stage of their mutually agreed upon plan involved sneaky and slightly illegal surgery.

In the years since his retirement as the lord of the west, InuTaisho had taught himself medicine, and in a moment of youthful exuberance had gone to human school, disguised as a young prospective doctor and obtained a diploma.

Although he had never opened his own practice, his medical skills often came in handy for when he or one of his sons or his daughter Rin had sparred against one another or gotten into scrapes.

Over the next few days Hideo went to work as usual and managed to tip off Sesshomaru that anything was amiss while Kagome, under the close supervision of her mother was operated on to re-set her rib in the proper spot and recuperated at home.

The whole experience was a blur to the little girl as her grandfather and his friend found a regimen of narcotics that kept her groggy and unaware until the stitches were able to be removed, which took a scant week thanks to her grandfather's healing abilities.

Once the girl was healed and it was decided that they were ready for her to return to normal life, they lifted the fugue and she came to in her room, surrounded by her grandfather and mother, told that she had fallen down the step of the shrine and bumped her head.

That night in Saitama, the two men made a pact. They decided they would determine how best to proceed together when it came to the jewel. They both monitored the technician to ensure he told no one of his findings, and to protect the location of the shikon jewel and its bearer. But as Kagome grew into her powers and began to tap in to those of the jewel, Hideo and InuTaisho had occasionally met to confer on what to do. At some point, they agreed, she would need to be told, but they decided to do what they could to keep it from her as long as possible. And to continue to search for a way to keep it supressed inside her.

Sadly for her, the news would not come from her grandfather and her close family friend, but from a sneering Nara, intent on slicing her open to obtain it for his own selfish desires.


	34. The Discovery Part 2

Hanging up the phone after receiving the call from Inuyasha, Inutaisho said a solemn goodbye to his mate and daughter and assumed an orb transport.

Arriving in the foyer felt like entering a war room, something the Lord remembered well. Everywhere the honour guard were busy getting ready for what looked like a direct assault. Their elite soldiers were suiting up, getting orders, and running off to carry them out. A commander greeted him and informed the general that in the time it took him to get from his country estate outside Kyoto to the manor, the honour guard had been fully assembled, briefed, and had already discovered a good deal about the hanyou who had supposedly kidnapped their Kagome. I seemed they were preparing an assault on a likely property on the slopes of Mt. Fuji that belonged to Mr. Nara and had been the site of unseasonable activity lately.

Nara… he never liked that man.

Heading into the study at the suggestion of the commander, Inutaisho turned a corner right into Sesshomaru, heading for the door.

Wasting no time, Inutaisho moved out of his son's path and fell into his position at his right hand. He could tell from his son's posture and the red ring around his irises that he was struggling for control, but his determination had clearly won the day and he was barking orders.

When Sesshomaru paused for a breath, Inutaisho jumped in, "Son, I need to speak to you."

Continuing to stride for the door, Sesshomaru brusquely replied "Not now, father. We believe Kagome has been taken by that filthy hanyou and are going to retrieve her. I need you to come with me and serve as my beta."

"Son you need to listen…"

"Father, we depart now," Sesshomaru all-but snarled with the red rim pulsing, but was soon silenced by his father's very real snarl.

"Pup, you WILL make time for me. This is crucial. Send the honour guard out." His tone brooked no discussion and he looked ever bit the leader he once had on the battlefield. Were the young Sesshomaru there, he would have been quaking in his shoes. His father was formidable when he wanted to be and it seemed that in this moment, he needed to be.

Perplexed at his father's informal bid at the alpha position in front of his men at such a crucial time, he indulged his sire and quickly ordered them out.

Once Inutaisho was satisfied the honour guard and anyone else was out of earshot, he proceeded.

"You know of Takemaru's sacrifice with the other three, and the formation of the jewel." He curtly began.

"Of course." Sesshomaru replied, not sure where this was going, but definitely intrigued by his father's anger and confused why his father would start a history lesson now of all times.

"What you don't know is that the Shikon jewel in the Pact headquarters is a fake. The real one was secretly stored in the warehouse of the Shikon shrine. For many years it was kept under a blanket of aura-supressing sutras and monitored by the reiki users that protect the shrine. Before I was able to upgrade security to an acceptable level and have it transferred to headquarters, the jewel found another solution for where it would hide itself."

"Hide itself…" the dazed Sesshomaru trailed.

"The real jewel is sentient, son." He clarified before pressing on, holding his son's gaze. "The jewel disappeared some decades ago, to our astonishment and reappeared in the body of a miko, Kagome to be exact."

"What? Why was I not informed?" He asked, aghast.

"We have time for that later," his father insisted, "What you need to focus on now is that Nara probably knows." He paused then, and walked to the portrait in the room of their family in their inu form. Clenching his fists, he continued.

"We've been living with the fear this would one day happen. That someone would take her and claim the jewel for themselves. Nara clearly believes the rumors of the jewels' powers are true and if he manages to lay his hands on the jewel, it's all over." Turning ominously back to his son, he caught his bewildered gaze, eager for this point to sink in, "I saw the jewel in the days after its creation when it was in our care. It is the single object in the world that has the potential to end it all. At this moment, he is probably trying to extract it from the miko."

"Where is it?" Sesshomaru couldn't help but ask. If Naraku was seeking to obtain the gem, knowing what little he did of the hanyou, he knew he would not stop until he obtained it.

With a world-weary sigh, Inutaisho answered, "Next to her heart."


	35. Plan C

"Sir, the dog has begun to move", the cryptic message came over the car phone.

Nara, or Naraku to his now deceased family, was on his way back from the farm, lounging in the backseat of his limo when he got the message.

The messenger on the other end of the phone had to move the phone from his ear to avoid the string of expletives that blasted from the earpiece.

After he calmed from his explosive tirade, Nara hung up on the operative, ordered his driver to go to the secondary location and dialed another.

"Ken," he began without waiting for a response. "I give you permission to do as you will with the miko. Before you do though, give her the contents of the needle marked 'C'."

Hanging up before Ken could launch fully into a grateful speech, Naraku glared out the window as they turned around.

He was sensing he had been close. They had been through her arms, legs, intestines and they had just finished a session of her right side. He was now almost certain it was in her heart.

He knew full well he could have just scanned her body for it, and been done with it, but extraction sounded so cold. Watching her in pain, crying out for him to stop was too… much.

Even while he lamented the loss of the queen, he had some reason to rejoice. Thanks to the substance in the the 'plan c' needle, he stood a chance to topple the king.

Even so, he lamented the loss of the last chapter of her torture. It had promise to be exquisite.

Jolting awake when she heard the distinct sound of the first door slamming open, Kagome tried to move but remembered what had happened during their last session and thought better of the attempt. She was almost certain that only her powers were keeping her together. The bastard had pierced her lungs, she knew, but thanks to her natural healing ability, slowed though they were, she was still here.

But if they were back for more so soon… she might not make it.

There was so much she wanted to do in this life, and dying in a bunker without her family was not the way she envisioned her passing. She had wanted a rich life, full of passion and fight.

As she heard the second door beep, she resolved to die the way she lived. Whatever came through the doors, she would fight it. She resolved she would fight to the last.

She evidently got her wish when only Ken opened the last door and entered the room. But there was something off… he had never come in alone before except to bring her food. This time he was without food or water. What was going on?

Reading her questioning gaze, he replied "Lord Nara has decided to move on to 'Plan C', meaning that I may finish with you." Openly learing at her, he finished "At last little wily miko, I get my turn to stab you."

Kagome's eyes widened and against the screaming of her wounds, she managed to pull herself into a sitting position against the wall.

"Ahh, but first," he pulled a syringe out of his pocket uncapped the needle and lunged for her legs.

At that she was DONE. She didn't give a damn if he killed her or how the sudden movement seemed to open EVERY seam on her broken body, she was not going to let this happen.

She began kicking wildly and managed to get him in gut. At his loud oof, she let out a moan, as she stood up in agony. She would NOT go down without a fight. She may only have human bands thanks to the fucking kodama, but that didn't mean she couldn't give it her all.

Her arms were the oldest wounds and the closest to heal, but even some of them opened up when she assumed a defensive stance protecting her face.

Taking the advantage the still winded demon offered, she kicked him in the head. Though she did sense some reverberation in his head from the impact, without miko powers or demon strength they were on completely different levels. Instead of knocking him out (as it would have a normal human) his head merely move the slightest bit to the side.

Who cared?

She began to kick and hit him with her all, blood spurting and trickling from the many holes on her person, opened anew at her sudden attack.

But too soon the bastard remembered he could overpower her with his demon power and grabbed the hand that had gone in to land another punch to the side of his head.

Now the battle became for her a matter of speed and dodging. Managing to rip her hand out of his grasp, she dodged a punch to her side, but was caught in the leg, to which she screamed. Opening her wounds herself was acceptable, but she couldn't let him open any of his own.

She began her defense anew, determined not to allow him to hit her again. Forming an imaginary bubble around her, determined to not allow him within striking range, she danced in and out, striking blows where she could with negligible effect, other than to keep him angry. Unfortunately within minutes this tactic failed when he noticed her slowing due to blood loss and managed to catch her on the right side of her chest, where the newest wounds were already oozing. At this, the puncture to her lung opened, causing her to lose her breath and preventing her from recovering it.

As she wheezed, hunched over, the stars taking over her sight, he knocked her down and pulled out the needle. Trying to roll away he caught her by the hip, jabbing his finger into one of the angrier holes where Nara had been _digging_.

She screamed in pain as he readjusted, putting his hulking knee on the wound his grubby fingers were previously in, holding down her left arm and injecting her with the syringe in the right.

The needle comes out of her arm and she realizes her right arm is free. For some reason the thug thinks the fight is over. She admits to herself, she thinks it is almost over, because the world is going so slow, like the end of a war scene in a movie. She 's suddenly tired, but fights through it to sluggishly grab for his face, to gouge his eyes out when he once again put a finger into a gash on her stomach. Screaming, she tries to continue her attack on his eyes, and finally manages it. With an almighty yell, she feels her fingers dig into the perfect spot, earning a scream from him. Her smile of gratification is hard to muster thanks to how slow the world is and she finds it is interrupted because of the absolute tonne of bricks that collides with her chest and leaves her once again breathless.

Suddenly, it's as if the world has moved elsewhere, she is all alone in a strange place where the movement and the sound seem so distant. When breath comes back into her lungs they aren't working properly as air refuses to stay put.

The thug recovers with a scream she barely hears, "You bitch! Right, you'll get it now!" And she notices he is fumbling with his pants.

Gross, she thinks. She always hoped her first time would be better than this. So much better than his stinky breath in her hair, her stale blood on her clothes and his hulking stupid form above her. As he roughly yanks at her pants, she thinks on what she always imagined it would be like. Somone with silver hair which would screen her from the world and be soo soft and cool on her skin. Right now everything was hot and painful and the frozen cement under her was rough and hard on her back.

The poison takes over quickly. Hopefully she will be dead before the bastard manages to rape her.

Perhaps she should go for another eye, she sluggishly considers, as if in a pit of molasses, but he backs up suddenly to remove the rest of his pants, and as if the Gods were smiling on her, another figure takes his place. Shining and resplendent and concerned for her. He is saying something but she is having problems focussing. Should she still try to take out his eyes, she considers as the world goes at a crawl. No, she thinks, as her fingers caresses the cool surface of his face. This fantasy is too lovely a way to die, she thinks as she blinks blearily up at him.

Though, she is glad this is only a dream. She wouldn't want him to see her this way.

 _Good thing he wont be the one they call when they find me. He would be so mad and think of me as truly weak,_ she thinks as a tear rolls down her cheek.

Sesshomaru decided to be in the vanguard of the assault on the farm, not trusting anyone else to get there fast enough and needing to indulge his beast gasping for the carnage that would come in retaliation for taking his mate.

The farm was heavily guarded by a cadre of assassins, both human and demon, but between the honour guard, his father, his brother, and himself, they proved less of a barrier and more of a distraction merely kept him from his goal for a short period of time. It felt as is Nara only hired them to be cannon fodder for his blood lust.

After slicing his way through a boar youkai, Inutaisho sensed a brief gap in waves. "Sesshomaru," he shouted, getting his son's red-eyed attention, "Go find Kagome, we will take care of this lot!"

At that moment Inuyasha landed beside him having taken care of his left flank with an almighty stroke and urged, "Ya, we got this. Go find her."

Sesshomaru was grateful to his pack members in that moment. He had been so distracted with his fury he allowed his beast to forget the purpose. Retaking control, the beast in agreement that mate was far too important, slunk back into the recesses of his mind and allowed him free reign. It didn't take long for him to isolate her stale scent outside a structure not far from where he was. Making his way there, polishing off the last of those in his way with a flick of his acid whip, he found a solid metal door, held closed by a sophisticated lock. Rather than wasting time, he hopped up on the roof and slashed his way through, before dropping silently into the locked shed.

The first thing to greet him was a quiet moan and angry panting, before he saw the form of a henchman looming over his miko trying to rape her. Her assaulter chose that moment to remove the remainder of his pants to penetrate his miko. Fighting off his beast, he managed to keep control as he swiftly decapitated him and shoved the remains into the corner.

Rushing over to the miko, so incredibly relieved to see her living face, he momentarily missed the extent of her injuries.

She reached out for his face and smiled at him so warmly, but he soon sensed something was horribly amiss. Calling for his father, he was not disappointed when his sire arrived within seconds.

His father made his way to the other side of the miko, after taking in the corpse in the corner. His son had clearly decapitated him with his acid whip given the pungent smell and the acid eating away at the remains, but the demon had clearly lost an eye, possibly to the miko. He had to hand it to her, she did what she could.

He redirected to his son and Kagome and moved to crouch next to her.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" She mumbled, blood trickling out of the corners of her mouth before the efforts of speaking cause coughs that wracked her gentle frame.

"Hush miko, we need to assess-" but he paused and both Inus gasped when they noticed that her shirt was peppered with holes and that each one seemed to be linked to a stab wound.

There were punctures everywhere. Some had healed. Others, most notably those on her stomach were fresh, a few days old at the most, but given her miko powers it was hard to tell when they had been made. From what he could tell of the healing pattern, she had been stabbed with a very slender object everywhere. Most of the wounds were reopened and oozing blood.

Battles on the field were bloodier with more casualties, but this before him now was the epitome of evil. This pure spirit had been tortured for a duty she had been born to.

"Son," Inutaisho got his attention, before reaching over and pointing to the most troublesome spots where her lung was leaking both air and blood.

"Oh, this is a good dream," she whispered, "I get to tell him, Sesshomaru," she addressed the spellbound demon, "He didn't find what he wanted, and I didn't kill myself. I endured it all. I hope you'll be proud of me."

"Miko what are you…"

His father moved then and grabbed something from the floor. "A syringe," he informed him, picking it up and sniffing it, he found a saccharine sweet smell to the remaining concoction that immediately had him on edge, "coated in poison."

Kagome was growing weaker by the moment, judging by her inability to keep her eyes open or understand theat they were not ghosts or dream figures but there in the flesh, "Miko, did they inject you with this?"

Sesshomaru placed his hand against her cheek and suddenly the cloud lifted a little. Maybe he was here? That cool hand on her face on fire was either a beautiful delusion before the end or the real thing, either way, she managed a few more words before the darkness took her.

"Hmm? Oh, ya. The big guy said Nara was – uh- plan c? I think they're done with me. I think I can die now. Make sure he doesn't get what he wants though or ill haunt you all with the triangle hat and the robes and you'll be sorry. I worked so hard…" She trailed off, slipping into unconsciousness.

Inutaisho's eyes widened just then, the girl had been through so much all because of the damned jewel. He had no time to consider, as the still-bleeding form of the girl was whisked away by Sesshomaru who cradled her in a tender hold and brusquely declared, "I am using my orb and taking her to our hospital in Tokyo, alert the air traffic towers and national security and the hospital,"

"Of course. Speed safe, son."

With that the demon and his charge on the edge of death assumed an orb form and shot eastward.

~~  
AN: Reviews make me happy. Consider my mood and how you want the next chapter to go down as connected.


	36. Tokyo Specific

The gurney rolled down the hallway, guided by three staff members and attended by another three.

Although most hospitals were run by the government, this one had ties with the pact organization and dealt in reiki and youki users. Thus she would be operated on by the best demon hands in Japan while several monks and mikos would focus on stabilizing her.

Sesshomaru was keeping pace with the gurney, striding alongside it with even paces, yet even as he looked studiously calm, the demon and reiki users winced in pain as his youki fiercely buffeted them, clearly agitated for his pack mate. She was still unconscious and was bleeding heavily from the newest wound to her chest. He couldn't even feel her powers and that had him frantic.

Dear god, if they lost this one…

The hallway went through several doors on the way to the operating theatre and Sesshomaru was slowly losing patience. If they had to go through another set of bloody doors, he would commandeer the hallway and insist they perform the surgery there. There was no time for this promenade. His miko was slipping away and if she wasn't seen to soon enough he would lose her.

 _Mate is missing, where is mate, please save mate_.

He had nothing to say to his beast, so he let the poor devil repeat the same lamentation over and over again. He may very well lose the miko.

Once they made it to the emergency room the best demon doctors were already scrubbed in and ready to operate. Before the last of the doctors entered the theatre after the miko, Sesshomaru grabbed him by the collar and instructed with a growl.

"If at any point it looks like my miko is about to lose her life, you come and get me immediately."

The rabbit youkai, the head of cardiovascular surgery agreed with a brief nod of the head and proceeded into the theatre.

The tenseiga was a tricky weapon. It had refused to save his mother and two of his siblings when commanded during the reiyou wars, but had decided to rescue Inuyasha and Rin's mother the night Inuyasha was born. He had even seen his father cutting through the shikon jewel after it had formed to save his son, but the damned thing would not cut the orb.

Before he sat down on the bench outside the operating room, his father materialized having orbed there after him. The two sat down, side by side in silence and waited. There was simply nothing to say.

After a few minutes, Inutaisho remarked, "Son, if you are this agitated the doctors won't be able to focus," whereupon Sesshomaru immediately retracted his youki to a short finite distance and continued to stew.

Four hours into surgery, Inuyasha arrived, bloody, tired and obviously less than happy.

"There is no fucking sign of the bastard anywhere. Half the fucking dogs in Japan have been out looking and there is no sign. The entire pact portion of the company is at work, hunting down all his assets. They even discovered that secretary of his bailed out the bastard who attacked Kagome outside of the reiyou. They said she used an alias and cash. The bastard was careful."

Sesshomaru was furious. That damned spider had slipped through his grasp. Despite his skilled trackers and all the resources of a wealthy businessman and a demon lord wasn't enough to catch him.

For the first time since her surgery began he spoke. "See to it that the pact council, the demon court and the international demon councils are put on alert. Nara is a fugitive wanted for the attempted murder of a miko." Pausing, he proceeded with his next part of his plan.

"See to it that the miko's things are moved into the manor. She will take up residence in the room she had while she last stayed with us." Notify her family, Sango, Miroku, her grandfather and yourself, Inuyasha, that until Naraku has been caught they will either be guarded by a cadre of our honour guard or they will move into the manor as well."

"Keh, fine. I'll move in to protect Kagome. I won't be letting her out of my sight anytime soon," the hanyou explained. "As for the others, I will ask. They are in the waiting room down the hall. Anything else?"

"You did well tonight." He remarked. "Thank you for bringing honour to the pack."

Inuyasha was flustered, but refused to let it show. With another blushing "Keh" he got up and headed down the hall for the waiting room.

Keeping vigil outside the door turned out to be a rollercoaster. After eight hours of surgery the first exhausted monk-doctor left the operating theatre and Sesshomaru was so upset he was on the verge of storming into the theatre to rescue her before his father pointed out that the exhausted man was debriefing a miko who upon hearing of the procedure's process, darted into the room away from the oppressive youki.

He was fortunate his father was there or he would have killed each and every doctor to quit the room out of rage and confusion.

Several more of these personnel changes took place staggered over a 6 hour period. After 14 hours of surgery involving experts of every discipline, the team emerged.

Inuyasha dashed, exhausted for the waiting room down the hall and shepherded them all into the hallway. Kagome's mother, brother and grandfather were all in attendance, as well as Sango, Miroku and the kitsune family.

"I'm Kagome's physician, Dr. Tomeo. After a very long surgery we have stabilized Miss Higurashi." Pausing while the family rejoiced and the stoic royal demons breathed, youki rippling sighs of relief, he allowed them their moment. Once they were all teary eyed or in the case of the silver haired dog demons, calmed, he continued. "It took 11 hours for our reiki and youki users to remove the kodama, once that happened the poison in her system which was counteracting her natural healing very quickly flushed itself. We suspect it was a form of spider venom mixed with a blood thinner. Fortunately after about 12 hours it began to flush out of her body and her natural reiki healing managed to augment our own procedures.

She will need to heal in hospital for what we believe will amount to a few weeks, barring any complications once that time is up she should be free to go home."

The doctor stayed to answer some questions. Before smiling and bidding everyone a goodnight. Although he was a demon, this surgery had been a long and detailed oriented one for him. He was glad his patient had managed to pull through and that they would not be massacred by the single most intimidating demon he had ever encountered.

In a surprisingly astute move, Inuyasha reopened the conversation regarding safety of Kagome's friends and family once the doctor left. "We need to settle where people will be staying until this is resolved."

Grandpa Higurashi started, "We will be staying at the shrine. I will be personally seeing to the protection of the sunset shrine, and our kitsune friends have agreed to stay with us to better defend the shrine." He said, gesturing to the genuflecting trio in the corner.

Though he had faith in the kitsune, as their line had been carefully selected to protect Midoriko's family Sesshomaru asserted, "You will also be protected by a contingent of my personal honour guard."

At Mrs. Higurashi's objection of, "that won't be necessary," Sesshomaru immediately shot her down.

"The safety of your family is paramount. I will not allow you to live outside my manor without proper protection. While I am confident Hideo-san is capable and the kitsune family are also formidable, I have taken your family into the pack and this is not debatable."

At Hideo's sage look, Mrs. Higurashi, relented, "Thank you, Seshomaru-sama. We appreciate the protection."

"In the meanwhile I expect you to all to stay at the shrine until the honour guard is augmented." Sesshomaru further ordered.

Hideo jumped in before his daughter in law could say anything more. "Thank you Sesshomaru-sama, we will be judicious when ordering additional forces. I will personally see to Souta's education. It's about time he learned some of the more important things."

Souta pulled a face, but stayed silent, sensing this was not the time to complain about his Gramps and his old fashioned ideas when his sister had just pulled through a life-threatening attack and surgery.

Inuyasha redirected and asked Sango her decision. To which she responded with a rather shy, "Thank you Lord Sesshomaru, As of this evening I will be staying with Miroku." Inuyasha couldn't help but notice that Miroku, already happy at the recovery and good health of his cousin was positively beaming now. Lucky bastard.

"Very well, I will send a contingent with the two of you. Sango will work out of Taisho offices until Nara is captured and brought to justice.

With that settled, Sesshomaru nodded and headed out, followed by his father and Hideo. He had already been away from her too long.

Upon his departure, Inuyasha explained again to Kagome's family, "He needs to stay next to her. Don't worry, he will keep her safe. Now, we've arranged for rooms in the hotel across the street. I suggest we all go see her, then head for some much needed shut eye. The honour guard are on their way."

After giving the family the news, the head doctor on Kagome's case, Dr. Tomeo, headed for the CT room where he had sent the miko. Although he had been in surgery for fourteen hours and was exhausted, but confident they had healed all urgent wounds he insisted on checking in on her personally, to ensure they hadn't missed anything.

The technician had just completed the scan and was assessing the results when he pointed an obvious round mass out to the doctor, "Tomeo-sensei, is that something left behind?"

Tomeo's eyes were already on the foreign object trying to puzzle out what the round shadow by her heart might be as the technician expressed fear of a lawsuit if it turned out they had neglected to close properly without checking the field for medical paraphernalia, when Tomeo realized that they hadn't operated on that spot…

Before he knew it the room was stormed by Lord Sesshomaru, the Inutaisho and Kagome's elderly grandfather.

Sesshomaru restrained Tomeo against the wall with a hand to his neck and instructed, "Tomeo-sensei, you will give me all copies of her scans and erase all traces of them from the computer once you are satisfied that she is out of danger," he growled.

"Sesshomaru-sama, what is this? Where are you taking my technician?" He asked as the figured of the scared technician was taken to the anteroom of the CT ward by Inutaisho and Hideo, both assuring the little man that nothing bad would happen to him.

"He is having his memory of the scan erased, while we would plan the same for you, we are in need of someone of your skills to be privy to this information for a little longer, to ensure her recovery goes smoothly."

"My Lord," the rabbit pleaded, "please,"

Sesshomaru let go of the rabbit's neck and allowed his feet to touch the floor again. The rabbit immediately knelt.

"I am originally from the lands of Himeji, and as such are your subject. I will do whatever you wish of me."

Pleased he had a follower that owed him fealty with the skills needed in a place like this pleased him, "Very well, you will tend the miko henceforth. Any illness she had will be seen to by you. Understand the shadow near her heart is to stay in place and stay secret. If at any point I hear that there exists a miko with a shadow in her chest, I will kill you, if I hear there is a human with an anomaly, I will kill you. In short, if you tell a soul, I will personally see the end to your line and the obliteration of your clan."

The rabbit was surprisingly unfazed by his declaration. "Yes, my lord. I will see to the protection of the miko and ensure none know of this, if any revelation of this matter comes about, I forfeit my life, my clan, and our legacy."

Sesshomaru nodded, and backed up enough to allow the rabbit to see to his task.

He watched as the rabbit finished checking the scan, deleted the file, and erased the scan log from all systems.

Once confident Dr. Tomeo was finished, Sesshomaru in a uncharacteristic moment acknowledged, "Well done today Doctor," before exiting the room, leaving behind a bemused rabbit youkai, piecing the puzzle together for his own benefit and his own alone.

True to his word, he would never breathe what he had witnessed to another soul and would keep his observation regarding the possessive inu youkai lord over his miko.

He ordered the nurses standing in the hall to remove the miko to her room as the scan was clean, and watched her rolled off before his technician returned, with a fresh tea in hand and a donut from the hospital café.

"Tomeo-sensei, is there anything I can do for you?" The startled technician asked, puzzled at why the renowned doctor was just standing there.

For hours he waited, breath baited.

The moment her breathing picked up tempo, he was there. In that moment he had a decision to make, one he had been dreading since he realized she would live and been putting off, hoping for a moment of obvious clarity.

That moment never came and now the deadline was upon him; would he stay by her side and explain his affections, or would he run, appoint Inuyasha as his proxy and let him take up rulership for the next 70 years and seal himself in a mountain until his miko died.

There really was only one option.

"S-Sesshomaru?"


End file.
